Eyes of Sapphire
by LilAznPeArl
Summary: Meet Naomi Irunaki. The strange girl who ends up joining Naruto's team. As she deals with all the drama that team seven gives her, something about her draws her towards Kakashi. Pairing: KakaXoc
1. Chapter one: Encounter

Pearl: Hi! Eh, this is my first story. Um...I hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...although, I do happen to have a Kakashi doll...

Prologue

It towered in the dark sky grinning with pleasure showing fangs that dripped black blood. The village filled with screams as the demon toyed with it. Flames spat from its mouth along with the scent of burnt human flesh, and webs of silk hung all over the village. The demon's spider-body and legs with its little pricks of hair crushed buildings and scraped the walls of houses.

A castle was not far, and its gleam caught the demon's eyes. Weapons, ropes, and spells were used to stop or even have the chance to slow down the monster. It never flinched, and its laughter rumbled the sky.

On the opposite side of the castle gates, the royal family made their escape. The king quickly scuttled into the forest, leading the way. As he scurried, he held his Queen's hand. She followed without a word, but fear blazed in her eyes.

In her free arm, there occupied a quiet infant girl; watching and listening; her sapphire eyes gazed into the gloomy night sky. Tonight was the night of the full moon, but its efforts of trying to spread its light into this night were consumed by the clouds.

She remembered the fear, the stench, the demon, and the blood. She remembered everything.

Chapter One: Encounter

Three days passed and Naomi turned around and looked behind her. She could still see the smoke rising from the chimney of the inn she had stayed in exactly three days ago. Then she turned back around to her original position and looked dully ahead. The wooden entrance to the next village was in plain site.

"Okay." Naomi thought. "It took me three whole days in this forest to travel to this village when it only should have taken me about fifteen minutes."

She clunked herself in the head and walked on.

"He would not be pleased with my late arrival, that's for sure." She continued mumbling along. "But there are too many injured animals in this forest that distracted me! Let's see…there were five birds, two squirrels, and two foxes. Ah! But still, that shouldn't be an excuse…eh…should it?"

She continued fussing for a little while longer until she just let out a big sigh to ease her nerves.

"Ah, it's not going to change anything. He expects me anyway so that means I'm still going." She concluded and moved onward to finish her journey.

Before she took another step, she sensed something from her right heading towards her. As it pierced out of the bushes, Naomi purposely dodged it clumsily.

"Yikes!" She yelped as she quickly ducked and pretended to fall onto the dirt path.

The objected wedged straight and hard into the tree that stood behind her. After a quick glance of the object, Naomi realized that it was a small twig. She stood up and took a closer look.

"Wow…" She whispered in awe.

It was lodged deeply inside the tree with only a leaf poking out.

The bushes rustled behind her and out came two boys and a girl in between them. They were all around Naomi's age, but a little younger. The boy to her right had short blonde hair and blue eyes that were curious as he looked at Naomi, but they reflected something of sorrow. He wore an orange jacket with matching orange slacks. Naomi couldn't help but adore the white fur that trimmed the neck of the boy's jacket. The boy to her left had black hair and black eyes filled with a desire. He wasn't interested in Naomi so he looked dully aside. A blue shirt and khaki pants covered the boy's body.

The girl's pink hair that landed a little past her shoulders, swayed in the wind as it swept by. Her beautiful turquoise eyes glistened as they rested on Naomi. Her shirt seemed a bit of the oriental designs with its silk red color and white threads. Her short black pants were tight on her, and the three of them wore navy blue sandals. Also the same symbol was seen on the navy-blue headband they wore on their foreheads and head: a silver swirled leaf.

After analyzing them, Naomi began to reflect back on herself. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail that perched on top of her head. Bangs covered her forehead, and some loose hair fell on her shoulders. The white over-sized t-shirt that covered her billowed in the wind, and her black shorts clung to her legs. Thick glasses covered Naomi's eyes and most of her face. Naomi's right shoulder carried a small sack full of a few items she needed. On her left arm of her biceps, she wore a pouch with several tiny pockets in a row.

"You were aiming at someone not something, Naruto." the girl said her eyes resting on the blonde boy.

"Ah, I'm sorry! But I didn't know, Sakura!" Naruto defended.

"Well, she would probably be dead right now!" Sakura argued back.

They continued bickering for a while with Sakura resorting to some violence. The black haired boy just walked off, but he didn't walk far because soon enough there was another rustle in the bushes.

Out stepped a man who was around his twenties. He wore a pair of deep, navy blue pants with bandages wrapped around his ankles and the same blue sandals. A green vest covered the dark blue sweatshirt underneath, and a mask hid his face from nose to chin. Once again, the same headband with the same symbol was seen diagonally on his forehead covering his left eye. His silver hair settled to one side and mostly eased on his headband.

The shimmer that his hair exuded caught Naomi's attention, and she admirably examined the strands. Also, his hands wore gloves, but his fingers were free. As his free eye glanced around, he scratched his head with irritation. At this point Naruto and Sakura had stopped their quarrel and had their backs turned against each other. Slowly, Naruto's expression quickly changed from stubborn anger to sorrow. The black-haired boy was found eased against a tree, waiting.

All this time, Naomi was silent and watching everything. She had to admit, it was a little entertaining and gave herself a small giggle. Then Naomi smiled broadly at her new incomers. Naruto, Sakura, and the man just looked at her.

Finally, the man asked Naomi, "Are you a traveler, Miss?"

Naomi smiled and replied, "Yes I am, sir. I've traveled from the Town of Crystal, Chrysalis, to this village. Well, I'm hoping that this is the Village of the Hidden Leaf, Konoha, and from the looks of your headbands-"

"You came from the Town of Crystal? _Chrysalis_?" Sakura interrupted and started inspecting Naomi.

"I've always dreamed of that town! Is it wonderful like they say? Are there crystals everywhere you look?" She asked with excitement.

The man pulled Sakura away and apologized for her behavior.

"Well, I've never really seen this side of her, and yes, this is road will take you straight to Konoha."

Naomi nodded and then slowly uttered, "Eh…I don't know your names…I think."

"My name's Haruno, Sakura!" Sakura blurted out. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Wow, Chysalis! I can't believe it!" Sakura's Inner Sakura exclaimed.

Naruto smiled and said proudly, "I'm Uzumaki, Naruto and I'm going to be the Hokage of our village!"

At this, Naomi's eyes sparkled behind her big glasses and she smiled cheerfully. They all turned to the black-haired boy who didn't say anything and perhaps wasn't planning to.

"That's Uchiha, Sasuke." Sakura said. Then she jumped next to Naomi and whispered into her ear. "All the girls like him because he's so popular and cool! Oh, and he's cute, wouldn't you say so?"

"Let me guess, Sakura, besides all the other girls, you like him, too?" Sakura backed away blushing, and Naomi laughed.

"Yeah, that's Sasuke alright." Naruto muttered under his breathe.

The man lifted his hand off his head and introduced himself.

"I'm their teacher, Hatake, Kakashi." He looked Naomi up and down and continued, "What's your name, Miss?"

Glancing at everyone, Naomi said, "My name's Irunaki, Naomi. Well, it was really great meeting you guys, but eh...I kind of...need to go now."

Naruto smiled and gave her a thumb up. "Sure! Come on! Let's go back in the village, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi scratched his head again and said, "Ah, I guess so, but we're not going into the village. Remember, you're still on training."

They all agreed and quickly led Naomi to the wooden entrance. On the fifteen-minute way there, Sakura asked Naomi many questions about Chrysalis. To her surprise, Naomi was amazed to find how much Sakura knew. Besides the amount of questions Sakura unloaded onto Naomi, the guards at the entrance also asked Naomi several questions.

"I guess this must be a reason why Mr. Kakashi wanted to lead me here. Some of these questions these guards ask are…a bit hard to answer." Naomi thought. "Well, it's just the _way_ they ask them."

She took the sack from her shoulder and dug her hand inside. It wasn't long until she found what she was looking for. A small wooden board now sat in her right hand, and she handed it to the guards. After taking a glance at it, the guard's eyes suddenly enlarged in awe. Quickly, they gave Naomi back her pass, and said, "This way." The big doors creaked open slowly, and they gestured their hands toward the village.

What stood before Naomi amazed her. The village was full of people bustling here and there. There were many unique buildings crowded together, and a large circular building rested in the back of the village. On the other side, there rested Hokage's place where the he would live and hold meetings.

"Welcome to the Konoha." One guard said after noticing Naomi's face.

Kakashi didn't take a second look back at the village since he knew the appearance of his hometown. What really bothered him was Naomi's pass that she still grasped. It was the same for Naruto, Sakura, and even Sasuke. They were all looking questionably at it. When Naomi came out of her wonder, she glimpsed at the four that stood on each side of her. Then she raised her hand and showed the curious four her pass.

The wooden board had Naomi's name carved in it, but what glimmered everyone's eyes was the center of the board. There sat a beautiful piece of crystal in the form of a diamond. Naomi slowly rocked her hand back and forth causing the crystal to glisten in the sun, and all the while, she smiled. She stuck it back in her bag and walked into the village giving a hearty farewell to the four.

"Thank you for everything!" Naomi called out to her newly acquainted friends.

"Don't mention it." Kakashi answered with a smile beneath his mask.

Sakura wanted to say something. She wanted to show how amazed she was with the crystal, but its beauty captivated her, and she remained quiet. Naruto saw Sakura's reaction, and he could tell that she wanted that crystal. He wanted to somehow get it for Sakura and maybe, just maybe, she would like him if he retrieved it. Sasuke's feelings were hidden, but he sensed Sakura's want for the crystal.

Just as the doors were closing, and the new friends were separating, Naomi talked with a guard inside. She asked if he could help her find her way around the village, and he happily agreed. The loud creaking eased and the doorway became narrower and narrower. Kakashi turned and began leading his students away. Just then he heard Naomi ask,

"Eh…could you show me where the Hokage is?"

At that, Kakashi stopped and turned his head. From that angle, he could see that the doors had closed.

Naruto saw this and asked, "What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?"

There was a moment of hesitation before Kakashi said, "That girl is going to see the Hokage." Confused, Naruto just stared at him.

"Naruto, I want you to know, even though you've made a friendly encounter with someone, they are still not to be trusted." Kakashi finished.

Then he sighed and said, "Come on, we need to continue with the training."

"Ah! You're too suspicious, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura blurted. "I mean she's form _Chrysalis_!"

Shaking his head, snow-haired teacher laughed quietly to himeslf as his students followed close behind.

Pearl: Okay! There we have it! Chapter one!


	2. Chapter two: Water

Pearl: Yay! Chapter two!

I don't own Naruto at all...just a Kakashi doll. Meh, heh, heh...

To Jacque: Don't believe whatever I am saying. xD

Chapter Two: Water

Naruto had been clumsy that day. His mind was not focused, and he ended up staying out late to train correctly. They had trained in a forest clearing earlier, and the trees contained their marks. Naruto walked away to a river that now ran before him. He sat in the grass thinking and gazing into the sparkles of the water. What had been in his mind all day was Naomi's crystal. He wanted it for Sakura's sake just to show her how much he cared.

It was late, and the sun had nearly set. The trees behind Naruto swayed in a slow rhythm as the wind brushed their leaves. Their dance seemed to have lifted away the world's worries. Birds fluttered out from one tree to another, chirping in the distance. The warm breeze gently rustled the glossy grass and flowers near by. It carried the scent of the flowers into the air, making everything smell of their pollen. Naruto's thought of the crystal began to falter, and he began thinking of other matters. For instance, today's training.

Naomi had been watching in the nearby bushes for some time, and finally, she crawled out.

"Hey, Naruto. How are you?" She asked cheerfully.

Naruto quickly pounced off onto his feet and turned around in surprise.

"Whoa! Naomi…have you been in there the whole time?"

With a laugh Naomi said, "Well, I guess you could say that."

An uneasy smile crept onto Naruto's face, but it faded as he returned his gaze back into the rippling river. There was a silence, and Naomi's eyes admired the somewhat secret place. She found a spot next to Naruto and sat down in the soft grass.

"Do you come here often, Naruto? It's beautiful." Naomi asked curiously.

The silence wavered on until Naruto finally spoke, "Yeah, this place is where I just come to relax." He continued to ask, "Wait…how did you know I was out here?"

Lifting her head, Naomi now looked at the sky and said, "I ran into Sakura, Sasuke, and Mr. Kakashi in the village. You were missing so I asked them where you were. They told me how clumsy in training you were today, and then told me where you were. I thought you might be lonely so I just came to check on how you were."

"Mr. Kakashi?!" Naruto chuckled amusingly.

"What?" Naomi asked innocently.

"Nothing! It's nothing!" Naruto snickered.

Smiling, Naruto took a seat next to Naomi. He looked at Naomi and then at her bag, which contained her pass.

"Maybe if I became friends with Naomi, she might give it to me." Naruto thought as he smiled cynically at the plans that concocted in his mind.

"I guess something's on your mind, right? Is it about…Sakura?" Naomi slowly asked.

"Eh...what about Sakura? Naruto asked as his smile quickly disappeared.

Naomi laughed and replied, "Well, she's a great member of your team I'd say, and her knowledge about my town amazes me."

"Oh...well, yeah, she's great." Naruto agreed with a small blush.

Once again, a silence fell over, but this time, Naomi was staring curiously at Naruto who became very uncomfortable.

Finally he exclaimed, "What? Is-is there something on my face?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto. No, there's nothing on your face." Naomi replied calmly.

"Then...why are you staring at me?" Naruto asked impatiently. Naomi hesitated before answering.

"Your eyes...they're beautiful...like sapphires." Speechless, Naruto just remained in his state of shock.

"Eh, okay..." he said scratching his head. "She's weird..." he thought.

Naomi turned to Naruto and placed her hand on his forehead protector. She gently tilted his head back to make his eyes glisten in the sun. Disturbed by Naomi's gaze through her white glasses, Naruto poked Naomi's forehead. Her attention restored, Naomi gave a small gasp, quickly pulled back her hand, and turned away.

"I'm...sorry," she muttered.

"Ah, it's alright. I guess there must be something between you and sapphires or blue eyes, right?" Naruto asked coolly. "Man, she's _weird_!" he thought again.

"My own eyes are blue." Naomi replied as she turned back toward Naruto who said, "Huh? Really? I've never seen a black-haired person with blue eyes. I mostly see them with brown or black eyes."

"Well, I can't say the same for Sakura. After all, she has pink hair and beautiful green eyes. Well, Sasuke does have black eyes." Naomi said as she smiled.

"Oh, right...but that's just different!" Naruto defended. They both stopped and stared at each other. Then they burst out into laughter.

They finished their laughter and retired their eyes to the water.

Slowly, Naomi asked, "Do you have more feelings for Sakura than just...partnership?"

"Eh..." Naruto said uneasily.

A small chuckle escaped Naomi as she continued. "It's something I see in your eyes when you look at her."

Naruto remained quiet as Naomi slowly spoke on. "Are you...angry at Sasuke?"

Fidgeting uneasily, Naruto replied sadly, " No, I'm not angry at Sasuke. It's just...ugh, nothing."

"Ah, it's okay, Naruto." Naomi said as she tried to comfort him. "I know you will capture Sakura's heart one day. She sees you now and as time passes, maybe she'll see even more. I think she might already see a lot in you."

As he lifted his head, Naruto eagerly asked, "You really think that?"

"Sure!" Naomi exclaimed cheerfully.

Then Naruto stood up with determination as his eyes traced the water. He suddenly ran near the river's edge and sprung himself above the river.

"Wahoo!" he exclaimed. Naruto closed his eyes and thought of submerging into the depths of the cold river. Except to his surprise, not a drop of cold shuddered his spine, and he opened his eyes questionably. Naruto found himself floating in mid-air with a thin layer of water that carried him, and somehow it didn't soak him.

"AAHH!" he screamed.

Then he flipped his head around at Naomi, and his eyes couldn't believe what he saw.

Her right arm extended in front of her as she muttered ancient words under her breath.

Then she looked up at Naruto, smiled, and said, "You shouldn't swim right now. You don't have any dry clothes to wear when you are finished, and eh, there's an eel in the river right now. Look below you."

Naruto turned his face to the river, and his eyes landed on the slimy eel. The serpent's body was sparking occasionally, and it's red eyes glared into Naruto's.

"AAHH!" Naruto screamed again.

Naomi laughed and controlled the layer of water to bring Naruto back to land. When he landed on the grass, he ran up to Naomi, snatched her right hand, and looked at it with narrowed eyes.

"How did you _do_ that?" he asked. "You can't control water or any other powers unless…you were born a demon with that power." He said with each word slowing down. "Like me..." he sadly thought.

Naomi looked into Naruto's eyes.

"I'm not a demon, Naruto. I'm still human, and I'm trying to figure out how I can control water so it's a big mystery to both of us. I'm sorry, Naruto."

"Please, you've been sorry too much, Naomi. Besides, it's pretty cool that you have that power! Hmm...water bending is it? Well, we leaf ninjas can leaf...uh, bend?" Naruto slowly replied having no idea what he just said.

Once again, Naomi laughed, but stopped to ask, "Naruto, can you not tell anyone about this? "

"Don't worry!" he exclaimed. "Your secret is safe with me!"

He finished giving her a thumbs up.

A smile came onto Naomi's face and she said, "Alright, it looks like I owe you one so I'll give you my pass."

"Huh?" Naruto said in confusion.

Naomi dug in her sack, took out her pass, and handed it to Naruto.

"B-but you need it for entering our village and-and…" Naruto stuttered.

"Ah, so I see you've done some thinking." Naomi giggled.

She grabbed Naruto's hand and placed her pass in it.

"Oh wait, one more minor detail." Naomi said as she muttered ancient words again.

She pointed her index finger at her name engraved on the pass, and water spewed out her finger. In a short while, the water stopped, and Naomi blew on the pass. The name now read Sakura.

"They'll know who I am, Naruto," she said. "Speaking of which, its late. Come on. Let's go back. You'll get your training right tomorrow now that your head is cleared up." With that, Naomi bid yet another hearty farewell to her new friend.

Naruto stood there in amazement and stared at the pass. He read Sakura's name over and over again until he finally lifted his finger and traced the delicate carving. He had the pass…the pass that would make Sakura happy and maybe, just maybe, like him.

Pearl: Ta da!

Sasuke: Omg! I'm not in it!

Sakura: Me neither!

Both Sakura and Sasuke: You call that a story?

Pearl: Eh...sorry?

Sakura: Apology not accepted! (glares at me then walks away)

Naruto: (smiles smugly at Sasuke)

Pearl: ...


	3. Chapter three: Miracles

Pearl: Ah, okay...chapter three.

I am no owner of Naruto. (sniffles)

Enjoy!

Chapter Three: Miracles

The morning came with a rooster's call. Naomi already awoke from her slumber and was on the roof of the house she slept in. It was made of wood with a stone chimney attached behind it. She sat in her pajamas and watched the village wake.

During this time, Naomi thought, "Lord Hokage needs to see me again today. Turns out, he didn't mind my three-day late arrival yesterday, but I wonder what's he called me for this time?"

She drew in the morning air and released it.

"Well, I'll find out later. Right now, it's time for breakfast."

Naomi climbed down the ladder that leaned against her house, and walked in. After feasting on two fried eggs, a bacon strip and a waffle, Naomi came back outside and decided to explore more of the village. She walked down aisles of shops and peered at what fancied her interests. Owners of the shops persuaded villagers into buying their products and often the villagers would bargain for a lower price. Children ran around spinning their toy pinwheels. Naomi caught one pick pocketing an old man and scolded him as he ran away. The man thanked Naomi who said that his gratitude was unnecessary.

There was a store selling trinkets and another selling jewelry. Naomi just ended up buying a silver bracelet with sapphire stones, but one particular store caught Naomi's interest. It sold many different handkerchiefs; some cute and simplistic and some with intricate details. Naomi stuck with a simple baby blue one made of silk that she glided her hand over. The border trims were soft and delicate and each corner hung a miniature tassel.

"Ah, you have an eye for spotting the 'chiefs," the store clerk said as she observed Naomi. "Are you interested in purchasing this particular one?" she asked holding out the baby blue handkerchief towards Naomi.

Naomi took a step back and said, "No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't have any money left."

"Oh, well then that's too bad because I had someone earlier wanting this one, but that wouldn't be _my_ problem now, would it?" The clerk asked sarcastically.

"N-no, I'm sorry."

With that, Naomi turned away and left, but she took one glance back at the blue handkerchief. The clerk gave her a grin as Naomi drifted away.

As she continued wandering, Naruto spotted her, and he began waving frantically. She didn't see him, and he ended up looking like a big idiot. He then stopped and shouted her name.

"Naomi!"

Well, she heard him, waved, and walked towards him.

"Hey, Naruto! Good morning." She greeted.

"Same to you, Naomi. By the way, I was wondering if you wanted to watch us train today." Naruto asked eagerly.

Glad to be invited, Naomi said, "Sure! I would love to, but Lord Hokage has called me, and it looks like I need to see him now."

"That old man called for you?" Naruto asked with curiosity. "What for?"

"That's what I'm going to find out right now so I guess I'll see you later, Naruto. Bye!" Naomi shouted as she ran off, but she stopped mid-way, turned around, and said, "I hope Sakura likes her gift she'll receive from you." Laughing, she ran away towards Lord Hokage's place. Naruto smiled and waved behind her.

"I hope she'll like it, too." He thought.

The doors loomed over Naomi as she walked closer and closer. There were guards at the doors, and the one on the right raised his hand to stop Naomi.

"What do you need, young lady?" He asked loudly.

"I'm here to see Lord Hokage." Naomi gulped.

"And what business do you have with Lord Hokage?" asked the guard from the left.

Naomi dug into her sack once again, but this time she pulled out a rolled up piece of paper with a dark green ribbon tied around it. Soon enough, she found herself inside with the doors closing behind her. The green ribbon was all that the guards needed to see to let her in. It was a specific green ribbon you could only receive from the Hokage. It represented the color of the Leaf, but Naomi didn't understand the concept of the ribbon so she left the subject alone.

Everything just seemed to tower over Naomi, but she remembered that yesterday everything made her dizzy. Red columns with gold rims at the top and bottom stood in a row on each side of Naomi. A red carpet led you straight down this hallway to a door. Naomi walked down observing the Japanese walls behind the columns. Yesterday, she observed the red columns.

When she reached the end of the hallway, she slid opened the Japanese door, and her eyes traced the simple white squares on the door. In this next room, a servant awaited Naomi.

She greeted Naomi and said, "Come this way."

Naomi is Hokage's healer, and within this building the Hokage was holding a meeting. He had planned for Naomi's arrival. (Even though she was three days late, and they all had to wait for her.)

Hokage stood near the back of the room, and before him, knelt the Jounin, who were eager to meet the healer. Among them was Kakashi. They pictured _him_ as an old man with a gray beard that he would twiddle with when he was thinking. Kakashi joined in with more silly ideas, and they all whispered back and forth.

"Hachiro, I told you to stay home and rest. You need it," whispered a kunoichi to the man who knelt beside her.

"Don't worry," he assured, "I took my medicine this morning, and I think I feel pretty good right now. Besides this is a very important thing I wouldn't want to miss."

The female teacher gave a small annoyed groan and whispered under her breath, "Of all the times this _old man _comes, he comes when Hachiro isn't well."

Hachiro periodically coughed, but he held it in. No one really could tell that he wasn't well. He or she was all too busy muttering about this "old" healer.

The servant, who was leading Naomi, told her why she was called. Naomi already knew that she had the task to be the Hokage's healer, but being introduced to the Jounin group gave her an itch. She wanted it to be a secret, but people would have to know who the healer was in order to be cured of anything. Naomi heaved a big sigh and walked on.

Finally, they reached the room, and the servant called for the Hokage through the door. Inside, the Jounins stopped whispering, straightened up, and lowered their heads. A guard inside slid opened the doors, and the servant whispered to the guard's ear. The guard turned around, walked to the Hokage, and whispered in his ear. After receiving a nod from the Hokage, the guard returned to his post.

Hokage walked in front of the group of Jounin and said, "Now is the time to meet our healer."

Then he gestured to Naomi at the door and said, "Please, come in."

With a deep breath, Naomi walked in. She saw the Jounins, who didn't see her with all their heads down, and was glad to see Kakashi within the group, but she felt that someone in the room was not well.

"You may see her." Hokage finished.

Several whispered, "_her_?" before they raised their heads for the shock that awaited them. They saw a _girl_ that looked like she was fourteen with big, funny glasses that hid her face. Their own faces filled with confusion and others with amusement. Some burst into laughter, but quickly silenced themselves by snickering. Kakashi just sat wide-eyed staring at the goofy-looking girl.

"I see why she asked for Lord Hokage the other day." He realized.

Naomi looked around the room and said, "Hi. I'm Irunaki, Naomi. Nice to meet you."

Her response was silence. Then she closed her eyes behind her white glasses, and when she opened them, she walked towards a man in the first row. It was Hachiro and he just stared blankly at her. Naomi knelt down in front of him and placed her hand on his forehead. Everyone watched in curiosity.

"You aren't well." Naomi said. The lady next to him smiled.

"Uh…I'm fine! You don't know what you're-" Hachiro said, and then pop! In went a small white pill that Naomi flipped into his mouth.

"There, that should do it. You should feel better soon," Naomi assured returning to Hokage's side.

The female teacher whispered, "Did you swallow the pill? I bet it's under your tongue."

"It's not. It-it dissolved on my tongue…like ice. Wow…something inside of me feels nice and cool." Hachiro said taking in a deep breath. "How odd..."

Everybody heard him and looked at each other. Naomi just smiled, and under his mask, Kakashi smiled back.

Hokage put his hand on Naomi's shoulder and said, "Naomi, I believe this group needs an explanation."

Naomi looked at Hokage and then the Jounins.

"I felt his body temperature," she said. "It was just a little above a hundred degrees. He needed to rest, but that pill I gave him should cool him down, and he should be feeling normal soon."

The teachers just looked at her disbelievingly.

"That's a pretty rare talent." One jounin said as another agreed. "She's a walking thermometer." Another joked laughing. The group was a bustle of laughter and talk about this odd girl that would aid the Hokage.

"I guess I'm something to talk about," Naomi thought blushing.

Suddenly, the doors flung open violently and a lady stumbled into the room. The guards from before were chasing her and yelling after her.

She hid behind Hokage and begged, "Please, Lord Hokage, help me."

The guards stopped and asked her to step out from behind the Hokage.

"My son," she said desperately, "He's very ill, and I'm afraid…please, please help him. I heard your healer. He's in town today. Please, Lord Hokage!"

She fell on her knees and bowed her head.

"_He_?" Naomi thought with some offense. "Ah well, might as well help her."

The guards were dismissed by the Hokage after Naomi knelt down in front of the woman just as she did with Hachiro. She placed her hand on the lady's forehead.

"You are not well yourself. Please, let me see your hands," Naomi said.

The woman did so and after examining them, Naomi faced the woman and smiled. "Your son only has a fever, but it's a pretty high fever. You must've been worried and stayed up several nights with him." The woman's face filled with surprised and she asked, "How did you know? Who are you?"

Naomi smiled, gave her a small bottle, and said, "I am Lord Hokage's healer. Here, you should put two small teaspoons of this powder into some boiled water and let your son drink it. Then let him rest some more. He'll be better in no time, and you should do the same for yourself."

"This _powder_ would work? My income is low, but I know that the doctors at the hospitals usually assign liquid medicine when children are sick with the flu." the woman said skeptically easing herself off the floor.

With a smile, Naomi looked at the woman and said, "You'll just have to trust me on this one, but if you're that doubtful of my medicine then what other option can you take?"

"What are you saying?" the lady asked with a hint of anger.

Tension filled the room, but Naomi's smile never wavered. It's as if she never sensed a change in the atmosphere.

"It never hurts to try." Naomi said cheerfully.

The mother, who sighed, released the tension in the air and said, "I guess you're ri-"

"Now then! Don't forget_ two teaspoons_ not _tablespoons_! Or are those the same thing? No, no! But yes! Boiled hot water! You can let it cool if you want before your son drinks it because he could burn his tongue! Or burn is mouth...no, it's about the same. Oh! Right! Save a small batch for yourself!"

As these words poured out of Naomi's mouth, she led the mother towards the door and said, "Don't forget! These are the doctor's orders! I hope you feel better soon!"

As the door closed behind her, the mother stood out in the hall blinking twice in front of the servant.

"What a weird doctor." She thought with amusement.

Inside, a Jounin whispered, "What kind of doctor doesn't know their measurements?"

Laughing, Hachiro said, "Her kind."

"Well, she does seem to be a pretty doubtful doctor, but if Lord Hokage requested her then I'd say she hasn't shown her true talents yet." Kakashi said to Hachiro, who agreed.

"Would you like to explore the village, Naomi?" Hokage asked when everything resettled.

"I already did, Lord Hokage. There were several people who were ill. I cured them the best I could. They said I worked miracles." Naomi answered in a little embarrassment.

Before Hokage said anything else, Naomi dug into her sack again and pulled out some carrots and lettuce.

"See? The villagers rewarded me with these, but I don't think I have any use for them." she said with her hands full of vegetables.

Hokage laughed at this and the group of Jounin joined in. The joy of everybody's laughter warmed Naomi as her laughter echoed among them.

Naruto: (gasps) O.o Now, I understand how Sakura and Sasuke feels. Hey, guys! Come back!

Pearl: Oh, boy...


	4. Chapter four: Training

Pearl: Ah, chapter four. It just came in the mail this morning.

(sniff, sniff) Yup, smelling fresh and new.

Pearl: No owner of Naruto. --

Chapter Four: Training

The Jounin left to their assigned duties and some to train their students. Naomi took a walk outside in Hokage's garden, and the Hokage himself accompanied her. They shuffled by red roses and yellow tulips. Their fresh scent swept up in the air and into their noses. A warm breeze gently drifted across the many flowers and plants, and Naomi would occasionally stop next to some of the vegetation to mention which were medicinal herbs and what they cured.

They wandered on for some time until Naomi spoke, "Lord Hokage," she began, " "Your village teaches ninjutsu."

Hokage nodded his head and said, "Yes, I assume that your home town also teaches some basics of ninjustu for self defense. You've been taught some basic skills have you not?"

Naomi nodded. "I know many skills including the basics, but I was wondering if there was more to learn from your village."

He chuckled and walked past Naomi.

"I wanted you to learn some of my village's skills. It may be something different and useful to you, and it makes it much more easier for me now that I know you _want_ to learn."

Naomi's face beamed with delight, and she began thanking Hokage repeatedly.

"I trust you already picked the teacher you want?" Hokage asked then raised a hand to stop Naomi from saying. "Kakashi, will be very honored."

Naomi laughed and then remembered about Naruto's invitation.

"Uh oh, looks like I'm a bit late, but at least I'll be training with him." she thought and then said, "Lord Hokage, is there any way to let Kakashi…eh, sensei know that you gave him permission?"

"I've already prepared it," he said handing Naomi yet another rolled piece of paper tied with the dark, green ribbon.

"Thank you," she said bowing and then running off.

"Do it again, and this time do it right." Kakashi said with a sigh.

Naruto was lying face down on the floor gasping for air through the dirt. "Maybe that crystal really wasn't on my mind, and I really was focusing because…I'm doing just as bad as I did yesterday! Ah! Why can't I get this right?" Naruto thought angrily.

Today, they trained in another forest clearing, and this one also had a river running by. It was the same river, but not the same location as where Naruto and Naomi talked. He pushed himself off the floor and he looked up at Sakura who rested on the bough of a tree. Her back leaned against the tree as she looked sleepily at the leaves. She had already passed this part of training and is just relaxing and waiting on Naruto. Naruto was swept away by Sakura and stood staring in a daze.

"Hey, Naruto, what are you doing?" a voice asked.

"Mm" was Naruto's answer.

The laughter of the voice pulled him out of his daze, and he turned his head. It was Naomi!

A grin appeared on his face and he exclaimed happily, "Hey, so you came after all!"

"Oh yeah, sorry about being late. I hope you forgive me." She said.

"Nah, it's fine with me, Naomi. As long as you're here now you can see how strong I am! Believe it!" Naruto proclaimed in his enthusiasm.

Kakashi began walking over.

"You look pretty battered up, Naruto." Naomi said observing him.

Then her eyes examined Sasuke who was sitting down against the trunk of a tree. He also looked a little worn out.

"Yeah, it's training." Naruto replied scratching his head. "But it's no big deal!"

"What are you doing here…eh, Healer?" Kakashi asked uncertainly.

"Please, just call me Naomi," she said.

"Healer?" Naruto asked out loud.

Sakura and Sasuke's attention turned to Naomi. Then she handed Kakashi the rolled up paper she held in her hands. "Hmm?" Kakashi wondered. Unrolling the paper, Kakashi read the writing inside. When he finished, he rolled up the paper again, and looked at Naomi with a smile from under his mask.

"I'm very honored. I guess our little encounter the other day was actually a good thing." he said. A grin from Naomi was Kakashi's reply.

"What's up?" Naruto asked his curiosity about to burst within him. Sakura leapt down from the tree and Sasuke stood up. They both walked near Naomi, Kakashi, and Naruto.

"Eh…well, guys, I'd like you to meet your new teammate."

"_WHAT_?" They all exclaimed.

"Nice to meet you, too." Naomi teased.

The situation and Naomi's position of the village was explained to the three teammates. Naruto's confusion, questions, and quarrels with Sakura stretched the time. Afterwards, the training began for Naomi.

"I'm going to need to train you alone, Naomi, so you guys just sit on the grass and keep watch." Kakashi directed. They sat a few feet away in the grass, and Naruto began flirting with Sakura.

"Wow…he can't even sit still for a few minutes with her." Naomi thought as she watched Naruto.

Then she turned to Kakashi and asked uneasily, "Okay, so what do I need to do…eh, Kakashi…sensei?"

"Yup, that's me!" He exclaimed then continued, "Well, I need you to show me the basics you already know."

"Eh, right." Naomi said and began walking towards the trees. She kept walking forward, and soon she was walking on the side of the tree. Naomi stopped and stood there with her ponytail hanging straight down.

"I know this already!" She called out to Kakashi.

"That's great! I can see that you can control your chakra very well." He called back.

Naomi hopped off and landed gracefully.

When she straightened up, her hands were placed in front of her, and Naomi's eyes focused on them. She shouted, "Clone Justu!" Poof! Puffs of clouds floated around Naomi and several other Naomi's appeared next to her.

"I know this, too." They all said in unison.

"Well, I didn't really need to see that. Controlling her chakra was enough for me to know that she'd pass the academy and become a Genin anyway." Kakashi thought quietly to himself.

"Well, okay, you know enough to become a Genin." Kakashi called out. "That's all I need to see of your basics. Hmm…let's see how well you are in battle."

With that said, Kakashi threw a kunai knife at Naomi.

"AAHH!!!" she screamed and hastily ducked. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke blinked twice then burst out laughing.

"Um…well then," Kakashi uttered. Scratching his head, he said, "I think we need to work on that."

"Okay! Let's do work on it right now!" Naomi said confidently after popping out from hiding.

Kakashi pulled out several kunai knives and held them between his fingers. Soon they were whirling straight towards Naomi. "AAHH!!!" she screamed again and one by one she dodged them clumsily. Her foot went up in the air, then she ducked down, then she hopped to one side, and the other. She just went all over the place! When all the kunai knives stopped themselves in the tree behind Naomi, they traced all around her body forcing Naomi to stand in a foolish way.

His eyebrow twitching, Kakashi was speechless. Only the laughter of Sakura, Naruto, and even a small chuckle from Sasuke was heard. Sakura and Naruto held their stomachs and tears came from their eyes. Naomi eased herself out carefully. Embarrassed, she gave a smile and blushed. "Eh, heh, heh." she chuckled nervously.

"We'll work on that later." Kakashi forced himself to say. "Okay…I haven't seen you in hand-to-hand combat so I guess your opponent is…Sasuke." Kakashi said gesturing to the black-haired boy who blinked.

"Uh, Kakashi-sensei, is that really necessary?" Sakura asked in worry for Sasuke's safety.

"Ah, fine. Then your opponent will be…me." Kakashi said as the thought entered his mind.

"What?! No, wait, Kakashi-sensei, I didn't want _that_ to happen!" Sakura blurted out.

"Why can't it be me, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked with disappointment.

Kakashi replied, "I'm afraid you'll get soft and not fight in a real situation. After all, you've met Naomi, but you know her a little more than we do, and you, Sakura, you wouldn't want to hurt someone who came from Chrysalis, right?."

"Hmph!" Naruto snorted with his arms crossed as Sakura sat with a sweat drop rolling down her head.

"_What's THAT supposed to mean?_"Sakura's Inner Sakura boomed.

"Oh, crap." Naomi thought horrified. Shakily, she asked, "Is-is this really…fair, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sure, it is. Now, let's get this over with." He finished.

"But Kakashi-sensei…." Sakura said.

"It's alright." Kakashi reassured. "Besides, the way I see it," he thought, "If I fight Naomi, I might even have some time to read some Icha Icha Paradise."

A small grinned stretched beneath his mask as he concluded his thought.

"Remember, Naomi, this is hand-in-hand combat so no weapons. You also have a minor goal that you need to accomplish so that we won't have to eliminate one another."

"How can you say that?" Sakura shouted when Kakashi's words entered her ear. Partly hearing what Sakura said, Kakashi pulled out two gold bells from his side pocket and held them out. Then he tied them to his belt.

"You'll need to get these bells from me."

"I remember that." Naruto said. "I wonder if Naomi could do this alone."

"I doubt it!" Sakura replied. "Sasuke couldn't even get them. He only _touched _them, and he's the best one out of the three of us. The key word for us was _teamwork_, and with Naomi alone, come on! Think of the odds, Naruto! Have you no brain at all?"

Naruto grumbled for a moment, but blew off his anger.

"You're right, but are you willing to bet, Sakura? If you're right then you get a date with me. If you're wrong, you'll still get a date with me! Believe it!"

Sakura turned her attention away from Naomi for a moment to punch Naruto.

"You'll also have a limited amount of time to accomplish your goal." Kakashi finished pulling out a portable timer and placing it on a stump.

He turned the dial and it started ticking. Then he withdrew the small orange book he carried in his back pocket, and began reading. Bewildered, Naomi stood there, but she shook it off and asked aloud.

"What's with the book?"

"That's his perverted book about naked people!" Naruto shouted.

"_What_?" Naomi exclaimed her eyebrow twitching.

She stood there staring speechlessly until she realized that she was wasting time. Kakashi just continued reading. His lazy eye seemed to be glued into the book.

"Ah, well." Naomi said. "I've got a goal to complete so I'll just…uh, shrug this off."

With that, she headed straight towards Kakashi and thrust out a fist. He blocked it with his arm, but Naomi's leg rose for a kick. Kakashi leapt into the air and landed away from Naomi.

"Damn it! He's on the defense." She cursed.

Then Naomi vanished and reappeared in front of Kakashi's book.

"Whoa! She's fast!" Naruto said as he watched in awe.

Kakashi surprisingly glanced up from his book and looked into the glare of Naomi's glasses. Naomi managed to snatch the book and hurry away. Immediately, Kakashi chased after her.

"Hey!" Kakashi shouted. "You didn't let me finish a sentence!"

His response was a giggle. They jumped and swerved everywhere until Naomi finally, tripped on a small but strong root hidden in the grass. Kakashi jerked the back collar of Naomi's t-shirt and pulled her back. She stumbled and gave a small gasped, but kept hold of the book. Naomi leaned back and rested safely on Kakashi's arm. His face didn't show any expression when Naomi's eyes turned to it. He seemed to just want the book back. Stretching his hand out in front of him, he gestured for the book. As his eye looked down on Naomi, behind her glasses, he saw part of her eyes: her blue sapphire eyes. Then those eyes closed and seemed to have disappeared.

Suddenly, Naomi departed into the familiar puffs of smoke and a log replaced her. "Illusions." Kakashi realized as he held the log. "Interesting." he thought viewing his surroundings. This surprised Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke who watched intently. "Where's the real one?" Sakura thought. It was not long before he finally found Naomi sitting in the tree, thumbing through his book.

"That book isn't suited for you!" He shouted.

Naomi lifted her head and bounded off the tree to Kakashi.

"Hmm…Icha Icha Paradise…don't you think that's a bit strong for you?" Naomi asked reading the title.

"Um, you know I could ask the same to you." Kakashi said with a small hint of annoyance.

Then he seized for the book. Naomi dodged him and stuck out her tongue.

"Catch me if you can!" She called out her giggle following after.

"I'm not falling for that one again." said Kakashi who reached out quickly grasping Naomi's collar again, and jerked her back.

The threads let loose and part of the collar along with part of the back of the shirt tore off. The three teammates heard the loud tear of the shirt. Stammering for a moment, Naomi fell on the grass. Kakashi blundered back, but caught his balance. He held up the torn piece of cloth and blushed at the sight of Naomi's bare shoulder.

"Eh…s-sorry…" he uttered with embarrassment.

"Ah, Naomi! Are you okay?" Naruto asked in alarmed.

Naomi pulled her torn shirt over her shoulder and nodded towards Naruto.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I guess that's the reason why I bought this shirt for five hundred yen." (about five dollars)

Patting the dirt from her shorts, Naomi stood up.

"Wow, you're pretty cheap, Naomi." Naruto said.

Kakashi watched Naomi make a face at Naruto then turn her attention towards him. She handed out the book to him and said, "Here."

Casually, Kakashi took the book from Naomi and placed it back in his back pocket.

Surprised, Naomi asked, "Eh? You knew that I wasn't going to use any tricks, Kakashi-sensei?"

Pausing, Kakashi scratched his head before he responded. "It's a natural thing I sense."

Suddenly, the timer rang loudly, and Kakashi walked over to turn it off. "Well, there goes the timer. You wasted all that time aiming for the book and not my bells, Naomi. I thought you'd be a better student."

Kakashi reached for the bells that hung from his belt, and received a surprise to find that there were no bells. "Hmm…" He glanced over at Naomi and studied her through his lazy eye. In return, a smile formed on Naomi's lips.

"Okay, okay, I have the bells," Naomi gave in as she pulled out the gold jingling bells.

"What?" Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke said staring dumbfound at Naomi.

"She-she got the…bells." Naruto stuttered in his astonishment.

"Unbelievable. Sasuke…only touched them, but how…how did she…." Sakura added.

There was nothing Sasuke could say, but to only stare.

"Eh, what's everyone gaping at?" Naomi asked noticing their ghastly faces. "I'm sure you guys got the bells, too, right?"

Slowly, the three shook their heads.

"Uh…Oh." Naomi thought frozen up in guilt and disappointment in herself.

Her heart pounced wildly inside her body as she angrily cursed herself.

Kakashi straightened his body up and said, "Alright, Naomi. We need an explanation."

"Well eh, Kakashi-sensei…uh, um, um, um…" Naomi stuttered. "I'll tell you this: If I could get your book away from you then…eh, I can definitely get these bells from you, too." There was a slight pause before Naomi began again. When a lie hit her mind, she blurted it out. "Remember when you caught me in your arms? You seemed to just want the book back when I saw your face." Naomi explained. "You didn't seem to notice the bells a whole lot so that time when you tore my shirt, I stumbled a little before I fell. It was an opportunity to snatch the bells. I reached for them quickly like I was just falling so…eh, I guess you didn't see it."

Kakashi thought for a moment, not having any memory of what Naomi said. "I don't recall anything like that. I better pay closer attention next time. After all, I did want my book back." Kakashi concluded with a shrug.

Naruto and Sakura came up to Naomi from the side lines. Sakura gave her a pat on the back, and Naruto received a high-five. Apparently, Naomi's lie was a good enough explanation for them…but not Sasuke.

Kakashi laughed to himself and thought, "Well, I guess Naomi's a much more interesting student than I thought. She could get my bells, but not exactly dodge kunais so well. This will be interesting." Sasuke who still stood off to the side had the same thoughts.

"Come on!" Kakashi said with a sudden change of attitude.

"Huh?" Naomi wondered. "Let's go eat! My treat!"

"Alright!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Are we going for Ramen? Please, Kakashi-sensei! I want Ramen!" Naruto begged.

"Uh, sure, Naruto. We'll go for Ramen." replied Kakashi.

Naomi laughed at Naruto and she followed behind everyone. Before they ate, Naomi had to run home and change into another T-shirt. She should have brought some extra money with her too because it turns out that Kakashi forgot his wallet, and his students each had to pitch in to pay.

Pearl: Ah, a much longer chapter.

Kakashi: Hmm…are you saying something about me?

Pearl: Oh, no, no!

Kakashi: (returns to Icha Icha Paradise)

Pearl: (sighs)

Sakura: I thought a five hundred yen shirt would do better than that.

Naomi: Well, apparently not.

Naruto: It's five american dollars, eh? Let's see...I think you can buy a lot with five dollars...like ramen! YEAH! You can buy lots of ramen!

Pearl: (smacks forehead)


	5. Chapter five: A Misunderstanding

Pearl: Alright! We have another new chapter fresh from the mail!

Pearl: Oh yeah, thanks for the reviews everyone!

Sasuke: Just get on with it.

Pearl: …You know, you're not in this chapter.

Sasuke: What?

Pearl: (laughs maniacally) …Enjoy!

Chapter Five: A Misunderstanding

Naruto stood in the training field enjoying the fresh breezy air. His heart was all a flutter mainly filled with happiness and excitement. Naomi watched nearby in the bushes; her own heart full of the same feelings. She could not wait any longer for Sakura's arrival. The night before, Naomi asked Sakura to come to the training field for a meeting, and slyly, she did not mention any notice of Naruto.

"I hope she won't be angry." Naomi thought remembering some of Sakura's harsh words thrust at Naruto.

Pumped with energy from his joy, Naruto couldn't stop moving all over the field, but suddenly doubt clouded his mind that began to damp his parade.

"What if she doesn't like it? No! She'll love it! What if she really doesn't like it? No, no…she'll love it!" Naruto argued in his head.

The butterflies in his stomach began to flap their wings uncontrollably and his agitation replaced his joy. As he stopped in the middle of the clearing, he began to sweat like an idiot.

The bushes behind Naruto rustled, then out emerged Sakura. As soon as she saw Naruto, anger and confusion spread across her face as she glanced around for the others.

"Alright, what's going on, Naruto?" she asked in annoyance.

"Eh, well…Sakura." Naruto began. "I wanted to-to…"

"Come on, Naruto. Don't mess this up! I believe in you!" Naomi thought cheeringly as she peered on them quietly.

"I-I wanted to meet you here, Sakura!" Naruto declared showing what little preparation he had.

Heaving a great sigh within her, Sakura asked, "And what do you need to see me for, Naruto?"

"Eh, uh…um…for-for…this!" Naruto stuttered nervously. He thrust out his hand, which held a small gift-wrapped box.

"Wow, he even had the time to wrap it?" Naomi thought with amusement.

A small gasp escaped Sakura's mouth. She loved to receive gifts and could not resist the beautiful colors the wrapping displayed. Quickly, she grasped the small box in her hands, but her senses came to her when her fingers touched the red silk ribbon.

"Wait a minute." Sakura said darting her eyes at Naruto suspiciously. "What's the catch?"

"What?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Oh, come on." Sakura said rolling her eyes. "I know you want something from me, Naruto! Tell me what it is, now!"

His heart saddened a bit, but hope kept him going. "No, no, Sakura. There's no catch. Really! I'm telling you the truth. Believe it!"

Sakura hesitated and thought for a moment before she gave her reply. "Well, okay, Naruto, but you better remember what you said!"

"Okay, okay! Just open it…please?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Sakura gladly undid the bow and wrappings.

Once again a gasp escaped from Sakura as she held up the surprise that the now unwrapped box contained. In her hands she held Naomi's pass, but of course, it had the slight adjustments of Sakura's name.

A big grin stretched across her face, and it beamed with joy as she rocked the wooden board back and forth in her hands. Sakura's eyes were practically glued to the glistening crystal in the board's center, and seeing so much happiness flow from Sakura, the insides of Naruto warmed with delight. Sakura was giggling and laughing in her bliss. She even jumped in the air and twirled about. All Naruto and Naomi could do was watch.

"Oh, Naruto! This is…this is incredible! I mean it's a crystal from Naomi's hometown! I feel so happy!" With that said, she wrapped her arms around Naruto embracing him. "Thank you so much, Naruto!"

"No-no problem, Sakura." Naruto stuttered his face flushing a bright red.

"Hee, hee, Naruto, you're blushing." Naomi teased under the bushes.

Taken by Sakura's hug, Naruto didn't hear Naomi's words and just remained standing until Sakura released her warmth from him.

"Well, is this all you wanted me here for?" Sakura asked curiously hoping to leave quickly before there was an after-date with Naruto.

"Uh…yeah, Sakura."

"Alright, then I'll be off on my way. Bye, Naruto!" As Sakura bid farewell to Naruto, she began to think just as she walked off. "Wait a minute…how did…he get this?" Quickly, she stopped and turned around.

"What's up, Sakura?" Naruto asked in confusion. "I thought you were leaving." Then he thought with delight, "Maybe she wants to go on an after-date with me."

"Hmm…maybe that's just what you want me to do right now, isn't it, Naruto?" Sakura asked harshly.

Surprised by the change in her tone, Naruto blurted out, "What? I don't understand!"

"Well, first you have to tell me how you got this from Naomi." Sakura demanded.

"She…gave it to me, Sakura. Really. Believe me." Naruto said slowly saddening.

Naomi ducked deeper into the bushes and murmured, "Oh no. Sakura's going to have the wrong thoughts about Naruto…and I can't jump out of here or else she'll think even worse!" Helplessly watching the two, Naomi's eyes stung with urgency. "Oh…Naruto, I'm sorry." she thought.

"Admit it, Naruto! You stole this from Naomi! You stole her pass and took the crystal out then replaced it on another board with my name on it!" Sakura accused shouting each word like blades that cut deep into Naruto's heart. A dark, cold, and cruelness overcame the turquoise eyes of the pink-haired girl that Naruto suddenly did not know anymore. It frightened Naruto down in his heart. In fact, the coldness seemed to have pierced his blade-cut heart like an arrow paralyzing his body. He had never seen so much…hatred.

"You should know that I'm _much_ smarter than _that_, Naruto! Humph!" Sakura said these words as she turned to leave, but stopped midway before walking again to say, "I'm really disappointed in you, Naruto." Oddly enough, Sakura took Naruto's gift with her.

Naomi quickly wrestled out of the bushes and ran up to Naruto. "Naruto…I'm sorry. What she said…you know that it's not true." Naomi softly said trying to console him, but it proved useless.

Sakura's last words echoed inside the blonde boy's mind. He knelt down on the grass with his faded blue eyes that soon filled with tears. The two knelt in the field for some time, but the sun still sat high overhead.

"She doesn't believe me." Naruto whispered.

Finally hearing a slip of sound from Naruto, Naomi, who was worried to bits, lifted her head and asked, "What?"

"She doesn't believe me." Naruto repeated.

"Oh, it's okay, Naruto. We can tell her the truth and everything would be-" Naomi was interrupted by an angry glare from Naruto's eyes, and a chill jumped down her spine.

"It's your fault! You're-you're just like the rest of them! You tricked me, Naomi!" Naruto shouted as he struggled to stand from blocking the flow of blood to his legs. He now glowered over Naomi and continued his yelling. "It was all a trap! You wanted this to happen to me! Now-now Sakura will _never_ recognize me!" By this time, Naruto snapped at Naomi through his tears.

His anger boiled deep inside him and reached the surface. He couldn't hold much of it in any longer, and he desperately wanted Naomi to shut up whenever she spoke words to try and calm him down, but they just added to his fury.

Finally, he snatched a pebble and threw it at Naomi, but luckily in his blurred anger he missed and only chipped Naomi's right cheek. Before realizing it, Naomi felt a small sting of pain on her cheek as a small stream of blood dribbled down to her chin. She was shocked and stared wide-eyed at Naruto.

"From now on just…leave me alone!!" Naruto cried as he turned and ran back toward the village.

There, Naomi was left alone in the field. She heaved a heavy sigh within herself and got onto her feet. Then she turned her face to the sky. Tears from her sapphire eyes swelled up and rolled down her cheeks dripping off her chin. The tears from her right eye stung her cheek when they glided across the cut caused from the pebble. It brought more distress, but compared to the hurt that Naomi felt inside her, it was only the pain of a bee sting. Sadly, Naomi placed a hand over her wound and walked home.

Pearl: Ah, so what do you think? Sad chapter?

Kakashi: (crying)

Pearl: Uh….


	6. Chapter six: Herbs

Pearl: Okay! I've finally got the time to work on this and update it! (celebrates)

Sasuke: Spare me the excuses. You took too long this time.

Pearl: …You're not in this one either that is, if you still remember from the previous chapters.

Sasuke: (glares at me)

Pearl: No owner of Naruto. (Maybe some stickers)

Chapter Six: Herbs

Naomi awoke the next day to the cry of a rooster and rolled over, but winced at the pain from her cheek. Then she slowly rolled on her back and stared up at the ceiling as yesterday's happening drifted back into her. Her fingers touched the band-aid on the sore cheek as she finally dragged herself out of bed.

Surprised to find herself out in the streets, fully dressed and functional, Naomi decided to browse the village once more. She came across her favorite shop that sold the freshest green and red apples she ever encountered. Today, she purchased her usual single green apple and ate it along the way.

"Thanks, Naomi! Come back anytime!" The store owner called after her. Naomi's right hand raising into the air giving a slight wave was his reply.

The problem of Sakura and Naruto never left Naomi's mind that it finally became bothersome to her. It was especially the moment with Naruto that bugged her the most. She decided to return to the training field to think. To Naomi's surprise, as she walked towards her destination, there was no sign of her three teammates: There was just no sign of Naruto.

When she reached the training grounds, she figured the answer. Today was yet another day of training, and it escaped Naomi's mind. At least luck was on her side since Kakashi, who was always late, had not arrived yet.

She walked to an area in the field and began stretching, but not before long, she spotted Naruto who was far away across from her frowning. Soon Sasuke and Sakura arrived: Sakura running off to a spot to stretch and Sasuke a spot to sit and wait.

It didn't take long for Sasuke and Sakura to notice Naomi and Naruto cutting off their communication lines.

"I wonder if this is about yesterday." Sakura thought with a guilty conscience. "If Naruto really gave me that crystal then…" She trailed off in her thoughts just as Kakashi walked onto the field his orange book in hand.

"Hey, guys! I got lost." Kakashi said happily with his usual greeting and replacing his Icha Icha Paradise back in its pouch. To his surprise, Sakura was in too much thought that she never gave her usual smart and angry remark about him being late.

Naomi gave a small sigh and thought, "I have a feeling today's training is going to be longer than usual."

The training was tough on all of them, but mainly on Naomi, Naruto, and even Sakura. All three had their minds focused on their related matters and each were not completely focused on training. This disappointed Kakashi, but he couldn't help but notice the non-talkative and glum Naomi and Naruto. Both were pretty melancholy about something and often Naruto would pass a glare towards Naomi, which really startled Kakashi. Although, during the moments Naruto passed his glares, Naomi never noticed a single one.

The period of training, which felt like centuries to the three thought-swallowed teammates, finally came to an end, and everyone separated back onto the streets of Konoha heading toward home. The feeling inside Naomi's stomach refused to be in the comfort confides of her house so without anything else or anything better to do, Naomi did her usual thing; wandering through the village aimlessly and occasionally greeting some familiar faces that once were her sick patients. This time when she meandered through the village, she carried a bag of different assorted herbs with her that she picked up when she shuffled by her house.

Naomi walked for a long time passing the same streets again, and during so, the villagers had business for Naomi. Their sons, daughters, uncles, aunts, the rest of their other relatives, or even themselves were ill in some kind of manner. Still, Naomi knew their cure by being the walking thermometer that she is and feeling their foreheads. Then she would reach into her bag of herbs and pull out a small sum of the correct herb for that illness and the villager would be off on their way usually with a smile.

She passed by a street sign that she had seen three times already and looked past it thinking, "Maybe I should just go back to the training field." With that in mind, her body began to move toward the familiar path she had been on earlier that day.

"Hold it right there!" A voice called from behind Naomi.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around glancing from side to side. No one was there. After shrugging, she started on her way again.

"Hey!" The voice shouted again louder than the first.

Again, Naomi turned around seeing no one as she glanced around for the second time.

"Down here!" The voice demanded.

Doing so, Naomi found the owner of the voice.

"Oh, hello, Konohamaru!" she greeted.

The small boy looked at her nervously with his blue scarf flapping softly in the air and falling down to touch the earth again.

"I need to ask you a favor, Healer!" Konohamaru boomed.

With a chuckle Naomi replied, "Lower your voice, Konohamaru, but I'm sure whatever it is, it must be pretty important since you asked me in such a way."

Blushing, the little black-haired boy apologized, which to Naomi, she said that it wasn't required.

"Well, I was wondering if you have some kind of…poisonous herb." Konohamaru said slowly.

Puzzled, Naomi asked back curiously, "And…why would you need poisonous herbs?"

"I'm going to poison the Hokage!" Konohamaru burst, "And then everyone would see me as Konohamaru, and not just the Hokage's son!"

As a silence drifted over them, Naomi stared at Konohamaru in a funny way.

Finally, Naomi broke the silence and said, "Konohamaru, you know there's more to just poison herbs to being the Hokage. I'm sure…Naruto's told you the same."

Disappointed, the little boy frowned, but knew his plan wasn't as clever as he had realized.

"Yeah…I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll just go now," he said sadly.

"Oh, Konohamaru." Naomi said quietly as she touched his shoulder to stop him before he walked off. "Want to eat some Ramen? My treat!" she offered cheerfully. A smile stretched across the little boy's face and then a nod of approval followed after.

As the two slurped the Ramen together, Konohamaru couldn't hold his curiosity and asked, "Healer, why do you have that band-aid on your face?"

After slurping a chopstick full of shrimp flavored noodles, Naomi swallowed, and said, "Well, first of all, there's no need for the formality, Konohamaru, just call me Naomi." She smiled as the little boy nodded understandingly. "And this?" She said pointing to her cheek with her chopsticks thinking of Naruto. "It was just an accident I had yesterday from training because remember, I'm a _real_ ninja." Again, the small boy who soaked in anything elder kids said, nodded his head. After finishing and paying for the Ramen, Naomi gave Konohamaru some lasting advice to becoming Hokage before they walked off on their ways waving goodbye.

It was getting late, but Naomi still returned to the training grounds. This time, she walked further and deeper into the forest nearby. The sun set with its red-orange rays beaming through the forest and dabbing more life onto anything it touched. In the end, Naomi stopped herself in a forest clearing where a patch of dirt in the middle of the ground disturbed the pattern of the grass. A small bird fluttered out of a nearby tree and disappeared into another.

Watching the rays of light and life pass above and around her, Naomi spotted a tree that sprouted herbs in its branches. She walked over towards it and reached out to pluck the green leaves hoping to add them to her collection in the bag. Apparently, the tree was too tall and the herbs it held seemed to just toy with Naomi as its branches bobbed up and down just as Naomi barely swiped at them.

Finally, Naomi decided to send the right amount of chakra to the soles of her feet and climb the tree. She left her beige bag of herbs on the grass when she began her ascent, and when she had reached the point of the tree where its arms branched out, Naomi sat on a branch to pluck the herbal leaves and to drop them down to the base of the tree. After a while, Naomi stopped and rested her hands in her lap to think. She noticed that she had not given any serious thoughts of Naruto since the Ramen with Konohamaru until now. Regrettably, she sat wondering how to solve the conflict.

Suddenly, there was a rustle from behind the bushes waking Naomi from her thoughts. As she flipped her head towards the sound, she asked aloud alarmingly, "Who's there?" Shifting her body over to see from under the leaves of the tree, Naomi started to lean over slowly and carefully.

There was a loud crack that snapped under Naomi who realized just then that she had shifted too much of her body weight over to the end of the branch. "Oh no…" She thought with panic. The bough of where it had cracked, swung down and broke off from the tree bringing Naomi down with it. A high-pitched scream came from Naomi, but it cut off abruptly when she hit the ground.

As Naomi regained conscience, she found her back against the grass with her bag of herbs right next to her head, and the broken branch that Naomi sat on only a couple of seconds ago, lay a couple of inches away from Naomi's feet. Slowly, she pulled herself from the ground and checked her body for any injuries. There were no major injuries, but she did bruise her knee and her back was sore from the fall. "Ouch." she groaned rubbing her back.

Surprisingly, out from under the bushes Kakashi popped his head out.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naomi blurted. "What are you doing here?"

Quickly, Kakashi walked over to Naomi asking with concern, "I heard a scream just a moment back. Are you hurt?"

"Oh, no. Eh, I just fell out of that tree, but other than that, there were no major injuries. I'm fine." Naomi said giving him a weak smile.

"You fell out of that…tree?" Kakashi asked slowly in disbelief as Naomi limped over to the tree to retain the pile of herbs that clustered together at the base. After spotting the herbs, the realization of why Naomi had fallen out from the herbal tree came to his senses. There was a moment of pause between them as Naomi gathered the herbal leaves and Kakashi stood watching her.

"Do you do this all the time?" Kakashi asked breaking the silence.

After adding the last leaf into her collection, Naomi replied to Kakashi's question with some of her own, "You mean picking herbs? Or falling out of trees?"

"Well, in a way, I mean both." Kakashi said. Confused, Naomi looked at her snow-haired teacher for an explanation. "I meant, do you pick herbs and often injure or hurt yourself doing so?"

"Ah, I see." Naomi said nodding her head. "Well, this is actually, the second time I've fallen out of a tree, but it was much smaller than this one. Other times, I get scratches or scrapes, but its on a rare occasion now a days."

"Well, you seem to go through a lot of trouble just for some herbs." He said.

Blinking twice before answering, Naomi said, "I guess it shows how much I care about people…on the other hand, it does give me something to do."

Hearing that as his reply, Kakashi pulled out his book from behind him and walked over to the tree's trunk.

"Is that what you came here to do?" Naomi asked as she watched him.

For some time, Kakashi finally looked up from his book and said, "If I ever have the time to then, yes."

"Well, you know, in my opinion, that's not such a bad book after all. In fact, I think it's pretty good." Naomi's opinion caught Kakashi off guard and he stumbled to find the words to say. "You've…read this book?"

"Well, of course!" Naomi answered casually, shocking Kakashi. "You were there, remember? My first day of training, I snatched that book from your hands and flipped through it. I did manage to read some of it you know." Naomi swung her bag onto her shoulder and held it with one hand looking as comfortable as ever as she continued to talk about the adult rated book. "It's just the love story that keeps me going. I'd like to find out what happens to that couple, but besides that, it's mostly the details that I find are a bit disturbing."

Kakashi stared at Naomi when she finished her comment, and couldn't believe his ears. Especially the part of where she told of the "disturbing details." A very long silence swept over them as Kakashi's eye was glued to Naomi, who smiled in return.

Finally, Kakashi cleared his throat and said, "Well, speaking of training, today's training was a bit…off from the others."

Naomi's smile flipped into a frown, and she sadly heaved a sigh from within herself as Naruto entered her mind all over again.

"I guess you need an explanation then." Naomi said.

Over the next few minutes, Naomi told of the pass, which Kakashi remembered seeing, and how she gave it to Naruto to give to Sakura.

"Hmm…I see." Kakashi thought.

"Yeah…I just think…well, I just _know _that it's…my fault entirely." Naomi sadly added.

"Well, you've got to talk with Sakura first and explain everything to her." Kakashi advised glancing into his book occasionally.

"Ah, I know. Since it's been on my mind, that was my first assumption to jump to." Naomi said. "I just don't know how to approach her with it."

Kakashi finished a paragraph in his book, and when he answered Naomi, he didn't lift his head from the book. "Just bring it up casually."

"Casually? Hmm…casually." Naomi pondered her teacher's advice. "Okay! Casually!" She exclaimed happily picking up that beige bag of herbs, turning into the forest, and running back to the training field. Not a moment later, she came back where Kakashi knew she would.

"He's at the Academy on the swing set." He replied calmly reading his book.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!" Naomi called out with a bright smile as she returned towards the forest once again with her bag of herbs bouncing behind her.

To Naomi's convenience, she found Sakura in the training field sitting in the grass. "Well, there's going to be a change of plans then," Naomi thought, and as she approached Sakura, she also saw her pass in Sakura's hands. (Well, now it's actually Sakura's pass.)

"Hey, Sakura!" Naomi greeted cheerfully. "Casual, casual, casual...come on! It was just five minutes ago! Don't forget already!" Naomi, who had her back turned to Sakura, muttered to herself. Sakura looked at Naomi and wondered what she was doing.

"Naomi?" She asked.

"Uh, HAI! Heh, heh...s-sorry." Naomi stuttered.

Chuckling, Sakura asked, "Well, what are you doing here?"

"Heh, I could ask the same to you, you know," Naomi said sitting down next to the pink-haired girl.

Sakura returned her gaze into the forest, and her smile faded away.

Naomi saw how unhappy she really was, and immediately pointed out, "Say! Isn't that the pass I gave Naruto?" (Oh, that's real casual.)

Turning to face Naomi, Sakura asked hesitantly, "You…really gave this to Naruto?"

Naomi gave her a nod and a smile. "He asked for it because he wanted to give this to you. I kind of carved that name in there just for fun."

Her voice breaking and guilt overwhelming her, Sakura's turquoise eyes became wet as she said , "Aw…now I feel worse than ever."

"Sakura…" Naomi consoled, "It's not your fault. I understand why you thought Naruto would steal this from me, but he really didn't." By this time, Sakura began to sob softly. "Aw, Sakura, please don't cry. You know, Naruto won't listen to me now, but…" Naomi trailed off in a sing-song voice. At this, Sakura slowly stopped crying and looked at Naomi.

"But what?" She asked almost desperately.

"But he'll definitely listen to you, Sakura. It's why you need to go talk to him first." Naomi finished. Nodding an approval, Sakura stood up and ran off, but shortly, she came back to Naomi embarrassed.

"He's at the Academy on the swing set." Naomi said with a smile thinking of Kakashi.

"Thank you, Naomi!" Sakura called out with a big smile as she ran off the field.

It was a day where the team had to meet for information from Kakashi for their rank D mission, and Naomi walked to where the meeting was held as confident as ever. She was the last to arrive when she realized Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto's presence before hers. When she spotted Naruto, she gave him a smile and a wave. Hesitantly, Naruto gave a weak smile back and lifted his arm only half way, but he still managed to give a wave.

He quickly walked over to Naomi and said nervously, "Um, hey, Naomi? About the other day…I'm _really_ sorry."

Naomi smiled brightly and said, "Ah, forget about it, Naruto. All that really matters to me is that you're talking to me again. Friends?"

Naomi's smile beamed at Naruto who returned it with a bright smile of his own.

"Friends."

Soon, Kakashi arrived, and they carried out Naomi's first D mission of finding a lost dog. Then the four of them and Kakashi returned to the field for a little more training before they headed home, and as normal as training went, somehow this one seemed better than ever.

Pearl: Ah, one of my longer chapters.

Sasuke: Just when do _I_ get some say in this?!

Naruto: (smiles smugly)

Kakashi: Wow, I actually got a part!

Sakura: Me, too!

Inner Sakura: Cha! Now that's what I'm talking about!

Sasuke: …You guys aren't exactly helping.

Pearl: (whistles)


	7. Chapter seven: Natsumi

Pearl: Ah well, school is out and summer is finally here so I've been cracking down and working and here's another chapter! Thanks for the reviews, everyone!

Sasuke: You think that'll make me forgive you?

Pearl: Uh…I never asked for your forgiveness.

Sasuke: Well, you can't have it anyways!

Pearl: …okay.

Kakashi: (shakes head)

Chapter Seven: Natsumi

As "normal" as training went today, everyone just worked harder than before to make it better than ever. The afternoon being warm and sunny with its summer breeze sweeping by just added to the better side of the day.

"Okay, Naruto, I think you can throw them now!" Naomi shouted from afar.

Naruto stood several paces in front of Naomi holding ninja stars, which were soon flying straight toward Naomi. Screaming and dodging all the ninja stars just as she had the first time when Kakashi threw them, Naomi was caught once again standing in another foolish position.

Sighing, Naruto said, "You're never going to get this, Naomi."

Chuckling nervously, Naomi carefully eased herself out between the stars just as she had for the hundredth time. Sakura, who trained with Sasuke, did the same as Naruto, but Sasuke blocked all the stars perfectly with his kunai. "Come on. Are you even trying?" Sasuke questioned coldly to Sakura who gulped feeling ashamed. "I'm trying, Sasuke. I'm trying, but…you're so good." Sakura thought sadly yet admiringly. Kakashi was found leaning under a tree reading his book as always.

They practiced a while on longer until Naomi, Naruto, and Sakura sprawled out on the grass, gasping from exhaustion. Sweating, Sasuke stood over them and mumbled, "Pathetic."

"Huh, Sasuke won't admit it, but he's pretty tired, too." Kakashi thought as he walked over and observed his students. "You guys practiced pretty hard today." He said cheerfully. "I'm proud of you guys, but um, Naomi…you've really got to work on it."

Scratching her head in embarrassment Naomi, a bit recovered, sat up and said, "I know, Kakashi-sensei."

"Well, do you happen to have some spare change?" Kakashi asked suddenly.

"Uh…" Naomi uttered unsure about the change of subject.

"If you have enough, I'd like you to go buy your teammates some water from the vending machines, and no, Naruto, you can't have any soda." A small groan came from Naruto who was still lying on the grass.

"Alright!" Naomi happily confirmed as she dug into her pockets jingling her coins. "I think I have enough. I'll be right back." She said waltzing off into the woods before anyone could pitch in any change they had.

"Aw, and I have some coins that I wanted to get rid of." Sakura complained.

"I guess I'll take those to her just in case." Kakashi suggested catching the coins from Sakura and trailing after Naomi.

Naomi was only a few feet ahead as she recuperated herself with her water power. "Ah, that feels so much better. I'm not sore anymore!" She exclaimed skipping towards the vending machines. Then she stopped and thought, "Maybe I should change clothes. These are pretty sweaty, but only for a minute. After all, I _am_ just getting some water…" As she stood there, she moved her hands in front of her gracefully.

Naomi no longer needed to say those "ancient words" she muttered in front of Naruto. They were actually a distraction to Naruto to keep him from guessing that Naomi could actually control water without the use of hand signs to concentrate chakra. Actually, Naomi could just move water by nature because of her bloodline. It was another form of the Kekai Genkai, and Naomi also kept that a secret from Naruto.

Slowly, Naomi lowered her hands to her side and as she did this, her white t-shirt and black shorts turned into a baby blue dress with spaghetti straps. Then she pulled off her big white glasses exposing her deep sapphire eyes and released her hair from its perch. The warm breeze played with the long black locks and ruffled Naomi's dress. She was beautiful. Then Naomi approached the vending machine and slid the coins in.

When Naomi skipped towards the vending machines, Kakashi just walked close behind her with his eyes glued to his book. Just as he reached the clearing where Naomi fetched the water, the beeping sounds from the machine was heard, and he assumed Naomi was there. Kakashi hid behind a tree for a moment to finish a paragraph in his book and after finishing, he reached into his pocket and grabbed the extra coins in his hand.

The sound of five water bottles thumping out from the machine was enough for Kakashi. "Well, it looks like she had enough after all. In fact, she even had enough to buy _me_ a bottle...though I don't really need it," he thought as he jingled the extra coins in his left hand. "I should return these to Sakura." Just as Kakashi was about to leave, he heard a thump from a water bottle dropping onto the grass.

"Aw, there's no way I can carry all these back unless I grow an extra arm!" Naomi thought in frustration. Then she knelt down and picked up the bottle in her last attempt to carry them all at once. Another bottle slipped out from under Naomi's arm and fell to the ground. Sighing, Naomi spotted a wooden bench a few feet away and struggled to walk over to place the bottles on the bench's surface. As she did all this, she never noticed someone watching her.

Kakashi, knowing that Naomi had trouble carrying the bottles, stepped out from behind the tree in order to help her, but what he saw stopped him in his tracks and caught his breath. Naomi, now seated on the bench with the bottles next to her, gazed at the clouds above trying to figure a solution. She was no longer Naomi in his eyes instead, she had become a stranger to Kakashi, but a _very_ beautiful stranger.

"Is that…Naomi?" Kakashi questioned himself.

Her black hair danced with the light wind, and her slender arm and hand moved smoothly to her chin as she thought thoroughly. Kakashi's eye widened slowly, and his heart skipped a beat. As he stood entranced by the figured beauty, he notcied that her best feature were her eyes. In fact, he couldn't keep _his_ eye off of them. The two blue gems that glistened a dark and deep mysterious blue. When she blinked, they seemed to have disappeared and the spell that kept Kakashi staring wavered off. During that time, reality sunk back into Kakashi who discovered why he had turned around.

"I, eh…might as well help her." he concluded nervously.

"I shouldn't spend so much time thinking about this." Naomi thought. "Kakashi and the others are waiting. I'll just carry-"

"Hi there!" came a voice that Naomi easily recognized. She looked up and saw Kakashi.

"AH! Kakashi-sensei! What's _he_ doing here? He can't see me like this!" Naomi thought frantically as she stared at Kakashi with wide eyes.

Kakashi realized Naomi's panic and calmly reassured her, "Please, don't be alarmed. I won't hurt you. I…just want to help."

"What?" Naomi thought puzzled. "He-he doesn't recognize me?"

Naomi calmed down, stood up, and bowed her head. "Hello, sir, eh…nice to meet you." She greeted uneasily.

Kakashi smiled under his mask and said, "Well, I saw you struggle with those bottles so I thought I could lend a hand."

"What? Exactly how _long_ has he been here? And he was _watching_ me?" Naomi questioned in her head as panic rushed through her once again. Casually, Kakashi strolled over towards the bottles and counted each one.

"Where do you need to go with so much water?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, man! Oh man! Oh, man!" Naomi thought furiously. "Eh…I'm not sure," she uttered.

"Uh…Okay." Kakashi said puzzled.

"I mean, eh…it's for…a friend! She…needs them for _her_ friends."

Sitting down next to the bottles, Kakashi asked, "Eh, I see…and who is this friend of yours?"

Frozen with panic, Naomi forced herself to speak. "Her…her name is…Naomi."

"Hmm…interesting." Kakashi mumbled loud enough for Naomi to hear. Now, Naomi wasn't sure what to do.

"Well, come and sit." Kakashi gestured at the empty space next to him.

"Uh…okay." Naomi said as she sat down next to her teacher. There was a long uneasy pause between the two.

"Well," Kakashi started, "can you tell me how you know Naomi?"

Naomi hesitated before asking, "Uh…first of all, are you Naomi's teacher?"

"Oh, yes, I am. The name's Hatake, Kakashi. I'm sorry we never went through a proper introduction, but I guess Naomi's told you some things about me since you know she has a teacher."

"Yes, she has." Naomi replied. "Well, I'm Naomi's…eh, apprentice with her being healer of Konoha. I help Naomi with her herbs." Naomi lied feeling guilty and a bit strange talking about herself.

"Oh? Well, that's funny, I haven't seen you in any parts of our village since Naomi's arrival." Kakashi said.

"Ah, well, you see…I-I don't live in the village. I live out…here." Naomi stuttered uncomfortably as she looked away from Kakashi who's eye widened with worry.

"What? You live out _here_?" he asked in shock. "It's dangerous outside of the village! If you need a place to stay…I would be glad to offer."

Naomi shook her head and replied calmly and casually in appearance, "No, no, it's okay. My house is near the border of the village, and besides that…I have a reason as to why I do not want to live inside the village." Naomi's voice and face seemed to waver a sadness that was true unlike her lies.

There was a small hesitation from Kakashi before he slowly asked, "And…your reason…would you be willing to tell me?"

Heaving a sigh from within, Naomi was truly sad as she spoke, "I…I'm afraid…of the village's people. I'm…so different."

Turning his eye away from Naomi and onto a tree, Kakashi asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

Naomi's lowered eyes shifted to a rock that rested in the grass and another long pause drifted over the two. Finally, breaking the silence, Naomi mumbled sadly, "…ah, I guess what I'm trying to say is…I'm just afraid to show my…face."

A wave of understanding swept into Kakashi as he watched a bird flutter out the tree he had his eye on. After all, a few minutes back, he himself was entangled in her beauty.

"I see." Kakashi said, but then Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke crept back into Kakashi's mind and almost immediately, he stood up to leave.

"Eh…I need to get back to my students now, but since these bottles of water are for them, I'll carry them back." Kakashi said with one bottle already in hand.

Naomi stood up quickly after Kakashi and asked, "Are you sure? Will you be able to carry them all at once? After all, I did go through a small struggle with them." she reminded.

"Don't worry, I'll be just fine." Kakashi reassured her.

When Kakashi somehow managed to gather all five water bottles in his arms, he turned around to Naomi before walking off to bid her farewell, but deep inside him, Kakashi wanted to meet his beautiful stranger again.

"Well, it was nice to meet you." Kakashi said saddened at the thought of leaving.

"It was nice to meet you too, Mr. Kakashi." Naomi said glad that Kakashi was returning to the field.

"Ah…you know, I never managed to get your name, Miss." Kakashi urged.

A small hesitation overcame Naomi, but then she smiled and said, "My name is…Natsumi."

Without realizing it, Kakashi was paralyzed by Naomi's smile. It was a lovely smile that made Kakashi want to make her smile and laugh all the time.

"Um…I've got to return to my home now…goodbye, Mr. Kakashi." Naom-…Natsumi said.

Still watching her in his paralyzed state, Kakashi controlled his mouth to say, "Right…goodbye, Natsumi." Another smile lit Kakashi's heart. "Oh, hold on." Kakashi stuttered. "Will…I ever see you again?"

Something inside Naomi made her heart skip a beat. "_What?_" Naomi thought shocked.

"Eh…I'm not so sure."

"Oh...okay. Goodbye." Kakashi said with a heavy heart as he walked off, but then stopped again to turn around only to see that his beautiful stranger was gone.

Panting as she ran through the forest, Naomi quickly stumbled onto another route back to the field. As she ran, he hands were flying around her hair replacing it back to it's former state. Then they flew down to her pocket pouch on her arm, where Naomi's fingers dug for her glasses. Out they came in a white flash, hiding the dark blue gems that were Naomi's eyes. Her transformation was nearly complete and all that was left was her blue summer dress, but gracefully, Naomi drifted her hands down her side and the pastel dress vanished into the white T-shirt and black shorts.

"This route I'm taking is the long way back." Naomi thought carefully. "But I know it's better if I show up after Kakashi-sensei. After all, he does have the water bottles and Naruto or Sakura would ask me about them if I showed up empty-handed." Quickly, Naomi pattered through the forest and into the field where she knew her teammates and teacher waited for her.

Sure enough, Kakashi reached the field before Naomi, but the three teammates, who were sitting on the grass each grasping a water bottle of their own, turned to Naomi with confusion.

"Ah well, as long as I have water." Naruto said shrugging it off with satisfaction.

"Hmm…good point, Naruto." Sakura agreed sipping her water. A sigh of relief rolled out from Naomi as she stood over the three.

"I wonder what happened." Sasuke questioned as he watched Naomi slowly. "Hmm…I should watch her more carefully."

"Ah, Naomi." Kakashi said. "May I speak to you alone?"

Turning her head to her teacher, Naomi said "Sure, mist- eh, Kakashi-sensei." The two stood together under the tree that Kakashi leaned against earlier while he read his book. Now the three left in the grass, watched curiously.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"Ah, maybe it has something to do with the water bottles." Sakura said logically then she turned to Sasuke, blushing, to ask, "What do you think, Sasuke-kun?"

Immediately, Naruto frowned at Sasuke and partly on Sakura.

"Ever since I gave her that pass," Naruto thought solemnly, "she's been the same…it's as if nothing's changed."

"Naomi," Kakashi started, "I want you to know that I just met up with your apprentice."

"Uh…okay." Naomi stuttered remembering that she was her own apprentice.

"Listen. I don't want you asking her to do things for you." Kakashi said more sternly. "Remember, I asked _you_ to buy the water bottles and no one else. Do you understand?"

Naomi gulped down a knot of guilt in her throat and slowly nodded her head.

"Good. Besides, where were you?"

Alarmed, Naomi's blood pulsed through her as she thought with strain. "I was…eh…I was just collecting more herbs, Kakashi-sensei. They're with Natsumi now." Just then, Naomi thought how strange it was to say a name that belonged to her, but didn't belong at all.

"Oh, I see. Well, just next time, Naomi, do what you're told to do. It's a ninja's job to follow orders and carry it out." Kakashi said leaving that to Naomi's thoughts and ending the conversation by retreating to the three that now stood on the grass. Afterwards, he reached into his pockets and gave Sakura her coins.

This time, Naomi exerted a small sad sigh to herself. "I know you're disappointed in me, Kakashi-sensei, but I didn't know what to do. Panic just took over me. Oh...how will I ever tell you the truth?" Now she turned her gaze to her snow-haired teacher.

"There are different sides to you, Kakashi-sensei. It's in all of us, but to see yours, it's somehow different to me…why?" Naomi asked quietly then giving another sigh, Naomi thought, "I guess through your eyes, Naomi to you is just another one of your hardworking students, and Natsumi…is someone else, someone significant perhaps, and I understand the reason why. At least I think so, but, Kakashi-sensei…I _am_ Natsumi."

Sasuke: I finally get a part…and it's about _two_ sentences short?

Pearl: Ah, stop whining. At least you get a part.

Sasuke: I want more than just that!

Pearl: Eh…well, I don't think you'll be in the next one.

Sasuke: _What?_

Naruto: (does a peace sign with his fingers)


	8. Chapter eight: Past

Pearl: I have so much more free time now that I _must_ finish this story!

Sasuke: You must be joking if you call _this_ a story….

Pearl: …you _really_ want a part, don't you?

Sasuke: …No! I don't want to have anything to do with this so called "story" of yours!

Pearl: (shrugs) Okay, moving on with our lives now.

Sasuke: W-wait!

Disclaimer: I have Naruto stickers! What else? …a key chain, baby! Woo!

Chapter Eight: Past

As the weeks passed by, Naomi became more and more familiar with Konoha. Nowadays, not much training was scheduled from Kakashi, but after Naomi's first mission, the team accomplished many more. Naruto even told Naomi how they had completed a rank B mission.

"It was all teamwork!" Naruto announced proudly.

Still, Naomi was assigned, whenever she had the chance to, to practice defending herself against ninja stars thrown toward her.

With the little training selected from Kakashi, Naomi had the time to advance with her job as healer of Konoha and gather more herbs for her supply. Even so, that day, Naomi had the chance to practice her defense against the ninja stars. The scene of where Naruto throwing the stars toward Naomi, and Naomi easing out from the stars in her foolish position replayed itself again and again. The only thing that changed were Naomi's ridiculous poses forming into even more ridiculous positions.

Sighing, Naruto said with a small hint of frustration, "To be honest with you, Naomi, I don't think you're ever going to get it."

"Hey! At least have some faith in me, Naruto!" Naomi said light-heartedly and laughing afterwards.

"Well…Kakashi-sensei said that you're not allowed to jump out of the ninja stars' way so you _have_ to block them with that kunai." Naruto stated as he pointed at the kunai in Naomi's hand.

"Yeah, yeah…I know." Naomi uttered.

"Just concentrate harder this time, Naomi." Naruto advised.

"Uh…I'll try." Naomi said nervously.

"Here I go!" Naruto called out as he ready himself to throw the stars.

It was only Naruto and Naomi (and always Naruto and Naomi) training together in the field whenever Naomi had the chance to practice. Time passed by, and soon, there was someone else in the forest. A man walked out from behind the bushes and smiled broadly at the two weary from their training. A hat made of straw shaded his head and eyes, and his clothes were a rough, tan colored cloth made from wool. Brown boots covered his feet, and some facial hair was present around the man's chin, cheekbones, and above his lips. He was a man of his thirties.

"Hello there!" he greeted kindly.

There was a small hesitation before Naruto and Naomi greeted the man.

"Are you a traveler?" Naomi asked.

"Yes I am. The name's Toshakatsu, Jiro!" he exclaimed in his brightly manner.

"Uh…I'm Naomi and this is Naruto." Naomi replied gesturing toward Naruto, who gave a small wave.

"Can you please direct me to the Hidden Leaf Village, Konoha?" Jiro asked. At this, both Naruto and Naomi's hand rose in unison and pointed in the same direction. "Thank you very much! You know, I have a feeling that I'll see you guys again. Well, carry on with your business!" Jiro said as he walked off with a bounce in his step.

For a moment, Naomi was paralyzed. He knew what Jiro meant by seeing them both again or just plain seeing _her_ again. Jiro knew who Naomi was and vice versa. As Naomi turned her eyes onto a patch of dirt, she whispered, "Jiro-sensei."

"What was that about?" Naruto asked as he pondered Jiro's last statement.

"Uh…we shouldn't think about things like that, Naruto. Besides, we need to get back to this training." Naomi said quickly, and the two returned to the training they previously exercised.

Sunset came and Naruto finally gave up on Naomi. "Ah, Naomi…can we stop now?"

"Yeah, sorry, Naruto. I'm just…I just can't seem to get it." Naomi apologized.

Fatigued, Naruto collapsed to the ground and gave Naomi an automatic response. "Oh…that-that's okay, Naomi."

With a small smile on the outside and guilt overwhelming her on the inside, Naomi said, "Hey, Naruto. I'll treat you to some ramen as thanks for helping me."

Almost immediately, the blonde haired boy bolted upright with energy from nowhere and excitement. "Okay! Come on! I know the best place to eat!" he exclaimed. With that said, Naruto grabbed Naomi's wrist and pulled her quickly away.

Five empty bowls of ramen stacked on top of one another sat in front of Naruto, who belched. "Excuse me." he said with a broad smile. Shortly afterward, Naomi finished her one bowl of ramen, chuckled at Naruto, and then raised her hand to the man behind the counter to pay the bill. As they walked out of the ramen stand, Naruto slowly pat his full stomach and said with satisfaction, "Ah, that was great."

"Well, I'm glad you liked it." Naomi said.

"Hey, Naomi." Naruto suddenly said, "Want to go to the roof of the that building?" He pointed upwardly at a tall building on the far side of Konoha. "I heard it's got an awesome view of the village from there."

Unsure of herself, Naomi replied weakly, "Uh…sure?"

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed, and once again, he snatched at Naomi's wrist and off she flew with him.

The vast village spread below them, and the pathways were walked by few people. Here and there, some stores began closing. The streetlights blinked on, illuminating buildings and shadows. Above them, the night sky's blanket of stars stretched over Konoha, and the half moon present gave a glow that was both warm and mysterious.

"Wow!" Naomi gasped taken away by the scene.

Naruto, his arms behind his head, smiled down on the village. "See? I knew it had a killer view." he boasted.

"Heh…yeah, you were right, Naruto." Naomi agreed slowly.

Seeing the sudden change in her mood, Naruto asked Naomi, "Uh, are you alright, Naomi?"

Even after eating ramen and seeing this breathtaking view of the village, Naomi's mind couldn't waver off the thought of the man in the forest, Jiro. The urge of just knowing who he was, wanted to explode from Naomi's mouth. The box inside of her that carried this information seemed so frail.

"Naruto…" Naomi started, but suddenly she drifted off, and from behind her glasses, her eyes became empty.

It was a dark night and the panting of a little girl was heard. The horrifying silhouettes of the trees laughed at her as she ran past them, and the dark swallowed the girl who ran deeper and deeper into the foreboding stomach of the forest. Behind her and out of the forest, blinding white lights burst between the trees. Whistles and men shouting in the white light began fading as this small girl ran further and further away, but deeper and deeper into the ominous forest. Her cheeks traced the path of tears. Suddenly, her foot caught a root, and she tripped. She collapsed onto the dirt and bumped her head.

When she woke again, her eyes gazed at a ceiling. Hesitantly, they began observing the small hut she realized she was in. There wasn't much. A wooden table sat in the middle of this room, which happened to be the only one, and a desk rested in the corner. The door was in the other corner, and some tools hung on the walls. Then the door opened allowing a man to step in. He stopped shortly when he saw the little girl awake and then resumed his pace.

"I thought you would never wake up." He said with a comforting voice.

This man wore a rough, tan colored shirt made of wool, brown boots, and a straw hat that he placed on the table. It was Jiro, but he is much younger now and has no traces of facial hair yet. The small girl sat up in bed staring at the man with empty eyes.

The sadness radiated to Jiro who asked gently, "What's your name? Do you remember?"

Her eyes gave a small spark, and then it disappeared quickly. Slowly, she answered with a small crackle in her throat. "…Naomi."

"Hmm…Naomi, eh? What a beautiful name." Jiro said with effort to lighten the mood. "Well, I'm Jiro. Eh, why don't you come on outside, Naomi?" he gestured cheerfully. Naomi didn't move and only sat there staring into Jiro's gold eyes with her dead sapphire eyes.

"Alright, if that's how you're going to be then fine." Jiro said teasingly. He lifted Naomi out of the bed and carried her outside.

It was a beautiful day and the bright sun warmed Naomi's skin as she looked around. She looked up, down, left, and right. She just looked everywhere as if this world outside was new to her. Something in the air warmed her, and it rang loudly in Naomi's ears. It was laughter. As she turned her head back to Jiro, she realized it was he who was laughing. Jiro took a deep breath of the fresh spring air, and then his deep laughter exploded from him. His loud laughter made Naomi's heart leap a beat. A small smile brightened Naomi's face and her eyes sparkled with life. Soon enough, she joined in with Jiro's laughter, and she wanted that moment to last.

From then on, Naomi was interested in everything Jiro did. Later he became her sensei teaching Naomi everything he knew and everything she wanted to know. They were close like father and daughter, but back then, Naomi wanted to marry Jiro. This was a joke to Jiro, and he always laughed at it. He told Naomi that someday in her life, she would meet someone who would be her true love and that it would be a journey filled with tears and joy because Jiro had already traversed such a journey and found _his_ true love.

"Naomi! Naomi! Hey!" Naruto shouted waving his hand violently in front of Naomi's face.

"Oh! Whoa!" Naomi said backing her face away and swapping aside Naruto's hand.

"You dozed off there for a second." Naruto said.

Realizing what happened, Naomi said, " Oh, I'm sorry. My mind…it kind of just wandered away for a moment."

"Yeah, I know it did." Naruto replied with a hint of sarcasm. "Ah well," Naruto said with a yawn, "It's getting kind of late, Naomi. You must be pretty tired too zoning out like that. I'm going to head home now."

As he turned to go, Naomi shouted, "Wait, Naruto!"

"Hmm?" Naruto wondered as he stopped in his tracks.

Sighing, Naomi asked, "Remember that man in the forest? Jiro?"

There was a small pause before Naruto finally realized who Naomi was talking about. Giving a nod, Naruto said, "Oh yeah. That weird guy that said he'll see us again. What's up with that?"

A sweat drop rolled down Naomi's head before she replied, "Yeah…that _was_ kind of weird, but…I know the guy. I think he means that he'll see _me_ again soon."

Interest showed in Naruto's face, but then disappointment. "Oh? And why doesn't he want to see _me_? After all, I _am_ the Great Naruto!"

Naomi burst with laughter and said sarcastically, "Sure you are, Naruto." Then she continued on laughing and soon was accompanied by Naruto with a small chuckle.

"Ah well, I'm just trying to bring up the mood especially after you dozed off on me like that." Naruto said scratching his head.

Suddenly, a Jounin appeared on the rooftop and interrupted Naomi and Naruto. "Excuse me, Healer." he said with a light bow, "Lord Hokage needs to see you."

Still in shock from the sudden appearance, Naomi gathered herself together and scolded the Jounin. "Don't do that! You scared me! Where in the world did you come from anyway?"

"You can say that again!" Naruto said as he held his chest.

"Uh…my apologies." the jounin said as a sweat drop rolled down his head.

Naomi turned to Naruto and said "Ah well, looks like I'm needed now. I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto."

Naruto gave a nod and walked off towards his home. "See you, Naomi!"

After watching Naruto leave, Naomi asked the jounin why the Hokage needed her.

"And this late at night, too?" Naomi thought. To her disappointment, no further information was given to her because even the Jounin did not know, and so Naomi found herself back in Hokage's place again.

"I think I'm going to be visiting this place more often." Naomi thought with a small sigh. "I better get used to it."

She was lead to a different room this time and as the doors slid open, Jiro was sitting inside with the Hokage.

"Hello, Naomi." Jiro greeted with that same smile he wore the first time he met Naomi.

"Jiro…" Naomi said quietly as she hesitantly entered the room. Jiro's smile never faltered as he watched her.

"I'll take my leave now." Lord Hokage said standing up and closing the doors behind him. Naomi's eyes followed the Hokage, begging him to not leave.

The two sat in silence in front of one another. Naomi stared at the wood floors as she listened to Jiro whistle a familiar tune. When he stopped, he broke the uncomfortable air by asking curiously, "Why the funny disguise?"

Naomi raised her head and looked at the man before her. Then Naomi's fingers reached for her glasses, and she pulled them off revealing her sapphire eyes. Gazing for a minute, Jiro turned his head and examined Naomi's glasses.

"You don't need them do you? They're fake." he said tapping the plastic lens with his finger. Naomi nodded.

"Oh come on now, Naomi. Speak up! After all these years and not a single word yet?" Jiro urged.

With a smile, Naomi said, "How are you, today?"

Jiro flung his head back in laughter. It was the same laugh from long ago that boomed in Naomi's ears and reached into her heart. She missed it very much.

"Well, why are you here, Jiro…sensei?" Naomi asked with a feeling of nostalgia when the word "sensei" escaped her lips.

"Ah, Naomi, I am no longer your sensei so drop that name and call me…Jiro-kun!"

Naomi gave a look of disbelief at her former sensei who laughed and said

"Just kidding, just kidding."

With a finger, he scratched the prickly hair on his chin. The sound wasn't very pleasing to Naomi causing her to wince.

Finally stopping, Jiro said, "Well, obviously, I traveled all this way to find you, but…I need you to help me…_assist_ me."

Puzzled, Naomi asked, "What do you mean?"

"All those years of training you, Naomi, the power inside of you has to come out now." Jiro said with a serious tone.

"W-why?" Naomi asked filled with worry and resentment at the thought of using her water powers. Naomi never liked to fight and learning ninja skills was a self defense for her and also, a way to help maintain her Kekai Genkai.

Jiro sighed and said, "You must understand, Naomi. I've somehow managed to trace a demon while on my search for Prince Katsuro."

"You still believe he exists?" Naomi interrupted.

"Shush, Naomi." Jiro whispered. "He definitely exists, Naomi. Here, I managed to steal this from that demon I encountered who just happened to work for that bastard Prince."

Reaching into a pouch that hung around his shoulders, he pulled out a scroll, and placed it into Naomi's hand. Naomi untied it and unraveled a painting inside. A man with long black hair, and emerald eyes looked back at Naomi. Thin blue and black armor covered is chest and dark pants covered his legs. A blood-red cape hung low to his feet, which were protected with boots. The title of the painting read "Prince Katsuro."

Naomi looked in awe, but quickly turned her attention back at Jiro and asked, "What would you need me for?"

"That demon I ran into…he killed…Yuri." Jiro slowly said in anger and sorrow.

This shocked Naomi causing her to drop the painting. It tumbled and crumpled on the wood floor. "I'm-I'm sorry, Jiro-sensei." Naomi stuttered to say. Yuri was Jiro's true love.

There was a small hesitation before Jiro said, "Please, spare me the grief. I need your answer, Naomi. Come with me to kill that wretched bastard!"

Naomi sadly shifted her eyes off the bearded man. "I'm sorry, Jiro. I can not do it for revenge." she said apologetically. Silence filled the room, and the two sat together.

Finally, Jiro stood up and said, "I've raised you well, Naomi. I understand…I must do this alone." With that, he left the room.

Naomi saw the tears that swelled up in his eyes and couldn't stop her own eyes from swelling with tears.

"It must hurt…to lose the love of your life," she whispered to herself. She couldn't imagine the pain and loneliness Jiro endures everyday of his life knowing that his wife,Yuri, is gone.

Sasuke: _See_? That is _not_ a "story!"

Pearl: (pats Sasuke's back) It's okay, it's okay…

Sasuke: Hey! Don't act like you're feeling sorry for me! I don't need your pity!

Pearl: (shrugs) Okay, moving on with our lives once again.

Sasuke: …w-wait.


	9. Chapter nine: Epic Battles

Pearl: Well, since I've had so much time on my hands now, (sort of) I ended up writing this chapter…and compared to my others, let's just say that it's one of my longer chapters. Along with that, it's also one of my favorite chapters! Maybe that calls for some excitement in store for you guys! Once again, thanks for reviewing!

Sasuke: I'm in it! I'm in it!

Naruto: Yeah, yeah, but so am I!

Sakura: Me, too!

Kagome: I'm not…

Pearl: …wrong series, Kagome.

Kagome: …Inuyasha!

Inuyasha: (snickers)

Chapter Nine: Epic Battles

Lately, posters of a tournament called the "Epic Battles" were seen all over the streets of Konoha. They were plastered on the walls of almost every shop that people passed by.

"What are these…Epic Battles?" Naomi asked Naruto as they walked their way to the ramen shop.

Shrugging, Naruto said, "I don't really know, but they come up almost every year. Bah, I usually just ignore them."

"You've seen these posters every year, and you don't _know_ what they're for?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

Sasuke scoffed at Naruto under his breathe. "That's to be expected." he said.

"What's _that_ suppose to mean, Sasuke?" Naruto asked angrily.

"It means you're a loser." Sasuke said in his calm state.

"What? Y-you're a loser, Sasuke!" Naruto argued back as a vein throbbed on his forehead. The two bickered back and forth with one another, Sasuke remaining in his calm state and Naruto growing angrier and louder each minute, until Sakura finally knocked some sense into Naruto to stop…literally.

Unusually, Sakura and Sasuke decided to join Naomi and Naruto to eat at Naruto's famed ramen shop for lunch that day. The four of them walked closely, but casually along side one another. Naruto sulked with the big bump on his head.

"The Epic Battles is a tournament held year round," Sakura explained, "It's a fight where ninjas are only allowed to enter to battle one another and see who's the best."

"I see…" Naomi mumbled.

"All the ninjas that enter fight only for the grand prize money, and it's just a form of entertainment for the rest of the world, but it's not very popular even though they try to catch everyone's attention by over advertising." Sakura finished pointing out the flyers on the walls.

"Oh." Naomi said. "Hmm…But if any kind of ranking ninja can enter, and they battle…what if it's to an unfair advantage per say, a chuunin versus a genin?"

"Ah, that's simple." Sakura said coolly. "The tournament officials makes sure of your rank and places you among the others that are the same rank as you. You see, there are actually three battles that go on and three grand prizes for each battle."

Naomi nodded her head and added, "So there would be a genin battle, a chuunin battle, and then a jounin battle, right?"

"You got it!" Sakura said cheerfully. "Ah, and also each of those battles are held on three different days." The pink haired Kunoichi said as she held up three fingers.

Confused, Naruto rubbed his head and asked, "Could you go over that one more time?"

"Oh forget it, Naruto! You're hopeless." Sakura sighed.

"Come on, we're here so let's eat." Sasuke said as he stood in front of the ramen shop's entry way. He understood Sakura's explanation thoroughly and was slightly interested in the tournament.

Inside the ramen shop, the four of them ate a hearty meal of ramen and were satisfied. "Ah, I never knew ramen tasted so good." Sakura stated with a hand on her full stomach.

With a laugh, Naomi replied, "Well, you never know good ramen until you've met Naruto."

Nodding and laughing loudly, Naruto boasted, "That's right!"

Sasuke grumbled under his breathe, "Calm down, Naruto. Geeze, it was just a compliment."

Naruto shifted his gaze down on his teammate and narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong with that?" he asked crossing his arms and pouting.

"Uh…Naruto?" Naomi warned as she pointed at Sakura who threatened Naruto with her fist.

"Do you think we're going to have a mission today?" Naomi asked Sakura as they walked out of the shop.

Sakura looked at Naomi and replied, "Hmm…well, I haven't heard from Kakashi-sensei all day. Then again…you never really hear anything from him until the very last minute." Sakura was implying on Kakashi's lateness.

For some reason, just hearing Kakashi's name made Naomi's heart skip a beat. "Huh?" Naomi thought. "What…what is this…feeling?" Shaking her head, Naomi argued with her heart. "No…it can't be like that!" she thought.

"Um…are you okay, Naomi?" Sakura asked with worry.

"Oh! Uh…I'm fine! Eh…let's go!" Naomi exclaimed.

"Go where?"

Kakashi walked up to his students and asked again, "Where are you guys going?" Glum fell over Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

"Oh great…he's found us and we're probably going to go on a mission or train." Sakura thought. "_Damn it! And I was going to spend some quality time with my Sasuke-kun!_" her inner Sakura roared.

For some reason, Naomi was glad to see Kakashi and a small blush brushed her cheeks. "What the? What is _wrong_ with me?" Naomi thought frantically.

"We weren't really going anywhere, Kakashi-sensei." Sasuke started.

"We just ate." Sakura added.

"Why are you here, Kakashi-sensei? Are we needed for something? Is it another mission?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Uh…yeah." was all Naomi could say to her sensei.

"No, Naruto, we're not going on a mission today." Kakashi said as he stood over his students. "Well, I'm sure you've all heard of the Epic Battles…"

"Ah! We were just talking about it before we ate!" Naomi managed to blurt out. Behind Naomi, Naruto nodded intently.

"What about it, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Well…" Kakashi said hesitantly with a hand on his head. "I thought it would be good for training so I'm suggesting that you guys should enter."

"_What?_" Sakura exclaimed. The four of them stared at their teacher with bug eyes until Sakura said, "I don't see…_how_ that can help with our training."

"Ah, it can help you in a real ninja battle. It's about the same situation except in this case, you have to knock out your opponent with no intention of killing them." Kakashi finished.

"I see," Sasuke said, "It will help us with experience."

"Oh…" Sakura realized.

"But…what if we all win against our opponents? Then, we'll have to fight one another in the next round or so." Naomi stated.

"You know, the funny thing is," Kakashi began, "this year in the genin tournament, all you have to do is beat your one opponent and you'd win automatically, and when they choose your opponent, the officials will make sure that they are from another team."

"What?" Sakura asked in disbelief. "Is it rigged or something?"

With a sweat drop on his head, Kakashi reassured, "No, no, the officials just didn't have enough money this year to hold a grand prize for the genins."

"Well, that's understandable. Especially with all the over advertising they do." Sakura figured.

Scoffing, Sasuke asked, "Then what's the point of holding a genin battle anyways?"

"Yeah, it doesn't makes sense." Naomi added.

"Slow down." Kakashi said, "apparently, the genins still want to fight, and as you said it, Sasuke, they've entered to fight just for the experience."

"Oh, I see…" Naomi thought.

"So…are you four willing to enter?" Kakashi asked his team.

"Well, I'm in…for the experience." Sasuke said.

"If Sasuke's in then…I'm in, too!" Sakura boasted.

"Ah well…two against two, eh? I'll just have to make it three against one. How about you, Naruto?" Naomi asked her blonde teammate who scratched his head.

"Uh…I'm sorry, can you guys run that by me again?" Naruto asked with a clueless expression.

At this, Sasuke, Sakura, Naomi, and Kakashi fell over. "No wonder why he's been so quiet." Naomi concluded thinking back to their conversation. Sakura explained everything over to Naruto again, and he was happy to oblige in joining the tournament.

"Well, the tournament's not until a week from now so, Team, let's start training to prepare!" Kakashi directed happily.

"Wasn't this what we were trying to avoid from the very beginning?" Sakura thought ironically.

The time for Konoha's genins to fight one another in the genin tournament finally came, and Sakura held one of the many flyers in her hands.

"So…where is this tournament held again?" She asked aloud while carefully analyzing the flyer.

"Don't know…but it should say." Sasuke said. The four of them were walking around in circles as they tried to find the destination that held the tournament.

"Ugh…are we there yet?" Naruto asked for the hundredth time.

"Ah, if only Kakashi-sensei was here." Naomi said. "We wouldn't be lost right now." Everyone nodded at these words.

"Ah! But no! He just _has_ to be late, _every _time!" Sakura wailed.

"It's no use complaining." Sasuke concluded, "We need to find a way."

"Hey, how about we follow that crowd of people that are filling up that stadium over there." Naruto suggested pointing to a crowd of genins.

There was a small dull pause before they all exclaimed, "WE'RE HERE!!!"

Kakashi spotted his team not too far from where he stood and waved to them.

"Hey, where have you guys been?" Kakashi asked innocently. "I'm surprised to see that you guys came late…and at that, you guys are later than me."

"Uh…well, we decided to join the club." Naomi mumbled under her breathe as Sakura scowled in anger.

Before anything else happened, Kakashi handed the four a packet of stapled papers. "Here, these are the forms you must fill out and agree on. When you're through, hand them to that nice lady over there." He pointed to a female jounin, who stood near the entrance. She had short black hair that covered her ears and gold eyes that inspected the forms she held in her hands. The leaf headband was hung around her neck, and even in Naomi's eyes, the woman was beautiful. Naomi saw Kakashi blush and thought, "_nice_ lady?"

Many jounin teachers met and greeted one another, and Kakashi was surprised to see how many of their genin students were present. The teachers talked about how lucky Kakashi was to be able to train the healer. Even the students whispered and pointed at Naomi.

"_That's_ the healer?" A boy said in his surprise. "Wow, _she _doesn't look like anything I imagined!" "Yeah…those glasses and that outfit. Ha! What a nerd!" A girl sneered as they all criticized Naomi. The harsh judgments they muttered entered Naomi's ear, and though it was hard, she tried her best to ignore them.

All the genins, who were either nervous or excited, stood in the long line leading to the entrance of the stadium holding their filled out packets. "Oh, I can't wait!" Naruto exclaimed as he waved his papers in the air. Washing away all her fears and worries, Naomi laughed and said, "You never can." Sasuke stood behind Naruto and looked over his papers one last time.

"Hmm…" Sakura thought. "I wonder who I'm going to go up against."

"Hey, Sakura! Let's hope that this match will be ours!" a girl with a long blonde ponytail a few meters away shouted.

Sakura turned around and thought with a testy attitude, "Oh great, it's Ino."

Naruto and Naomi turned towards Ino's way, and Naomi asked, "Who's that?"

"That's Sakura's rival, Yamanaka, Ino. She's pretty annoying if you ask me." Naruto said with his arms behind his head.

"Hmm?" Naomi wondered.

"I've got some news for you, Ino, you pig!" Sakura shouted.

Ino blinked and said, "You know, you can stop yelling, billboard brow." She only stood a couple of feet from Sakura now.

"I'm not yelling!" Sakura argued.

"Oh, whatever. Just get on with it…big, ugly forehead." Ino muttered with irritation.

"Well, if we go against each other, I won't lose to you! And Sasuke-kun is mine!" Sakura said proudly.

Ino's eyebrow twitched from Sakura's words, and she shouted, "No way, you billboard brow! I can kick your butt any time! And Sasuke is _mine_!"

"Well, we're just going to have to find out now, aren't we?" Sakura growled loudly as she glared at Ino who returned it with her own.

When all the genins finally turned in their papers and walked to their stadium seats, the announcer called everybody to sit and quiet down. From her seat, Naomi spotted Kakashi, who was still at the entrance, talking to that female jounin. Squinting her eyes to clear out the scene, Naomi watched the two for a moment. "She's…a _nice_ lady?" She thought as she questioned her teacher's statement.

The first match was about to begin, and though it was a match between two genins whose identities were unknown to the team, they still eagerly watched the fight. After the winner was declared, another battle between anonymous genins was announced and the day carried on. Naomi nervously glanced at the entrance where Kakashi and the jounin teacher still stood, but no longer talked. They were closely watching the genins now. Peculiar, mysterious, and astounding feats were revealed that amazed the audience.

Finally, Kakashi moved from his spot and headed toward the rafters. Somehow he found his students and walked to where they sat. A male teacher suddenly appeared next to Kakashi, and he pointed out immediately, "Ah, Kakashi! You showed up late again!"

"Uh…I'm always late." Kakashi replied with a cool-head.

The jounin made a long face, but then gestured towards Naomi. "And who is this?" he asked knowing that it bugged Kakashi.

"I'd say you know."

"Well, at least introduce us properly." the man pleaded.

Sighing, Kakashi said, "This is Gai, Naomi, and Gai, this is Naomi, the Healer."

Stars sparkled in Gai's eyes, and he kissed the back of Naomi's hand.

"Um…" Naomi stuttered disturbed with Gai's actions.

"Gai-sensei is Kakashi-sensei's rival," whispered Naruto.

"You…don't say?" Naomi asked aloud uneasily, and then she bent over and whispered in Naruto's ear, "That's kind of sad."

Naruto laughed out loud, but quickly stopped when Gai shot him a glare. "Well…nice to meet you, Gai-sensei." Naomi forced herself to say. "Ah, and same to you, Oh, Great Healer! Ta, for now!" And with that, Gai twirled around and walked away with a light bounce in his step. A sweat drop rolled down each teammates' head as Naomi stammered, "Oh…g-great Healer?" Scratching his head and sitting down in the empty seat next to Sakura, Kakashi sighed and said, "That's Gai for you."

When everything settled down again and another battle was taking place, Naomi managed to ask Naruto without others around them hearing.

"Who was the woman that stood at the entrance? She collected our papers before."

"You mean the one that, Kakashi-sensei said was _nice_?" Naruto asked back.

"Uh," Naomi stuttered surprised that Naruto kept Kakashi's comment in mind. "Yeah…her."

"That's Fumiko-sensei." Naruto said. "She may be Kakashi-sensei's…" Naruto ended his sentence there, raised his pinky finger, and winked at Naomi. (girlfriend)

"_What_?" Naomi thought with an itch in her stomach as her eyes widened behind her white frames.

"There's a rumor going around that they like each other. Heh, heh." Naruto chuckled.

"Eh…really? How…interesting." Naomi replied returning her eyes to the battle as she pondered her feelings.

Finally, it was time for one of the teammates to fight, and it just happened to be Sasuke versus another boy. Sasuke hopped down to the center, and everybody cheered. (Mainly the girls.) They waved flags and banners with Sasuke's name on it, and the guys narrowed their eyes at him in their jealousy. When the rules were explained, the fight began.

"Wow, he's really good." Naomi said. Naruto agreed and nodded.

"Yeah, well wait until you see _me_ fight!" he boasted.

"Hey, Naruto," Naomi started again, "have you ever heard of the Hidden Painters?"

Puzzled with Naomi's change in subject, Naruto said, "Um…Hidden Painters?"

"I guess not, huh?" Naomi asked with some disappointment.

"Oh! I've heard of them!" Naruto shouted with his sudden burst of memory. "In fact, I think practically _everyone's_ heard of them! They're the hidden ninjas that use the art of…art! Only a few of them live today, and it's really rare to see one. Why did you ask, Naomi?"

Amazed by Naruto's knowledge of the Hidden Painters, Naomi said, "Wow, I didn't know that they were ninjas. I've only just heard the name, but...other than that, that's all I know." The crowd suddenly cheered, and Sasuke was declared the winner. "That was fast." Naomi thought.

Next, Naruto was up against another boy. Everybody cheered for them both as they fought, and Naomi cheered the hardest. Naruto tried his best and fought evenly with the other genin. It almost came to a draw, but Naruto's spirit prevailed in his struggle, and he was stated victor! Partially injured, but through the power of the Nine-tails, Naruto healed quickly.

After a couple of matches, Sakura was next, and to her excitement, she was up against Ino.

"Are you ready?" Ino shouted.

"Ha! Sasuke-kun is mine!" Sakura shouted back.

As they began their battle, Naruto was yelling and cheering for Sakura wildly causing the audience to laugh and embarrassing Sakura. Sakura and Ino were one in the same. Their powers were equal, and Ino could not believe it. Sakura was pretty proud of herself, and the battle fought out to a draw where they both collapsed from exhaustion.

When Sakura and Ino both recovered enough energy to stand, it was time for Naomi to fight. The audience was silent as they watched their healer climb down the flight of stairs and into the center. Naomi faced off with a boy who had dark brown hair and black eyes. His name was Sho, and he was very serious with fighting Naomi.

"I don't care if you _are_ the healer or not! I'm still going to win, and show everyone how weak you truly are, you got that, nerd?" he said with a cold stare.

Taken aback by his insult, Naomi glared at the boy, but then excused it when the proctor came. "Alright, you know how this works. No killing anyone here so no deaths allowed. Just fight until one of you is zonked out. Your weapons are anything." The man stated rather carelessly, but Naomi couldn't blame him since he stated those rules all day.

"Fight!"

Naomi leapt into the air evading ninja stars and thrust her own at Sho. He also avoided them, and came into close combat with Naomi. Soon, they were punching, kicking, and blocking in the air and slowly descending to the ground. The audience cheered wildly as Naruto wailed out for Naomi. Kakashi watched his student more steadily now.

They jumped out of their brawl, and landed lightly on the ground. This time, Sho threw his group of kunais at Naomi. "Oh no! Not this again!" she thought as she dodged them just as clumsily as she had in training. Laughter arose from the throats of the audience, and Sho began doubting that Naomi was the healer. Naruto paused in his cheering and thought, "Oh man…" Then he looked over at Kakashi and gave him a shrug. Sighing, Kakashi thought, "Looks like the extra practice didn't really work as well as I thought." As always, Naomi chuckled to herself as she straightened up from her absurd position.

The wind brushed by and rustled some leaves from the nearby trees. The leaves plucked themselves off the branches and twirled loosely into the stadium. As they hit the ground, almost immediately, they swerved and darted into Naomi's direction. "Watch out, Naomi!" Naruto warned as loudly as he could. Caught off guard, Naomi managed to dodge some of the green darts, but a few cut her arms and legs. "Ouch." Naomi said wincing at her pain. "Ah…he's using his chakra to control the leaves." she presumed as she turned to Sho. "What's the matter? A little scratch, and you've stopped?" He jeered with confidence.

Now, Kakashi watched with worry. "Ah, I don't think…she can handle it." he thought. Sakura saw her sensei's worry and asked aloud, "You think Naomi's going to be okay?"

"Of course she's going to be okay, Sakura!" Naruto declared. "We've been having extra practice! She'll be fine!"

"Do you guys really practice during extra practice?" Sasuke asked doubtfully.

"Heck yeah, we do, Sasuke!" Naruto proclaimed with his bold attitude.

Once again, Naomi dodged the leaves, but they just kept turning around homing in on her. Cursing, Naomi ran at Sho, who left an opening, and jabbed him in the face. The audience cheered loudly at this, and Sho stumbled back outraged. "I'll show you!" He shouted. After focusing his chakra and finishing his hand signs, Sho raised his hand in the air and then abruptly pulled it down. This time, many leaves from the nearby tree flew off its boughs and headed toward Naomi. As swiftly as she could, Naomi kept her distance from the swarm of leaves, but she knew that her stamina was wearing down quickly.

"Ah, this doesn't look good." Kakashi said. "Come on, Naomi." Naruto mumbled with hope. At first, the crowd hadn't the slightest idea what went on with the leaves, but when they realized it, everyone whispered in their astonishment. "Bah, that's just a basic level to controlling your chakra." A genin bragged. "I can do better." "Yeah? Too bad to see that this "Great" Healer of ours is losing out." the girl that sneered earlier pointed out.

Just then, Sho saw Naomi slowing down from exhaustion and spotted an advantage in her footing. "There!" he shouted directing his horde of leaves once again at Naomi, who evaded it just as she had before, but what caught her off guard was the few leaves left behind that came flying in after the first flock. "Oh crap!" she shouted in her mind.

The pain came to Naomi, who didn't realized how hard the leaves swiped at her. Cutting her arms and legs deeper than the first, Naomi fell to the ground on her hands and knees as she watched the blood dribble down her forearm. Sakura and Naruto gasped at this, and the audience watched in shock. Sasuke and Kakashi's eyes were glued to the battle, and they watched Naomi carefully with despair. Suddenly, the metal part of Naomi's leaf headband that she wore over her forehead clattered on the ground in front of her, and Naomi thought back to the day she received the headband.

"You know what I am, Lord Hokage?" Naomi asked in alarm.

"Do not worry." Hokage said. "But of course, I do. Jiro informed a great deal about you the other day."

There was a hesitation before Naomi spoke again. "I see…"

The Hokage turned his back to Naomi and reached over at the table that stood in front of him. As he twisted his way back to face Naomi, he handed her a leaf headband. "Huh?" Naomi thought puzzled by his action. "What's this for?" Naomi asked.

"You should wear this." Hokage started. "It may help as a disguise."

Realizing Hokage's intentions, Naomi took the headband from him and stared at the leaf symbol with admiration.

"Or it can be a fashion statement. You know, _all_ the ninjas are wearing one so they _are_ all the rage." The Hokage teased. This pulled Naomi from her gaze, and her eyebrow twitched at his remark. Laughing, Hokage said, "I'm just kidding, but I'm sure that it should help you with your time here in Konoha." At this, Naomi smiled and gave a nod.

Slowly, Naomi raised her head and rolled her eyes over at Sho. Underneath the headband's metal was another silver piece, but instead of a leaf symbol, a paintbrush revealed itself. Sho stopped his leaves in mid-air and asked with enlarged eyes. "What's that symbol?" The audience gave a gasp and then began babbling about the concealed emblem. "That's a Hidden Paintbrush symbol of the Hidden Painters!" the boy who bragged earlier pointed out. "No way!" the girl exclaimed astonished.

"Oh? What's this?" Kakashi asked eyeing Naomi curiously.

Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breathe, Naomi thought, "Ah well, all is revealed."

His eyes glued to the paintbrush, Naruto whispered quietly in disbelief, "No way..."

Naomi picked out three paintbrushes from the pockets that was on her biceps. They were as big as toothpicks, but only because a spell was placed on each one of them. If an item with the spell cast onto it was tossed into water or touched a drop of water, the item would enlarge to its normal size. Naomi also pulled out a tiny jug, too small to be seen, that jiggled with water. Dripping the wetness in her palm, Naomi held her enlarged brushes in one hand and returned her secret jug to it's normal size. Tying the jug around her waist, Naomi armed herself with two brushes in each hand and the other in her mouth.

"I don't believe you! You're just a fake!" Sho shouted with determination, and with that, he launched his swarm once again at Naomi. "Come on, just like…dancing." Naomi thought as she pictured Jiro in her mind. Slowly, walking into the swarm, Naomi, with her eyes closed behind her glasses, twirled and spun around avoiding each leaf gracefully as they passed her by. The memory of training with Jiro danced with her mind as she danced with the leaves. When the last leaf flew past her and with one last twirl, the audience found Naomi on the same side as Sho giving him a blow to the head with a kick.

Sho collapsed hard on the ground and skidded across the dirt. His leaves fluttered slowly in the air and glided across the floor. Silent, the spectators watched eagerly now. "Uh…wow." Naruto thought, but then a sick feeling overwhelmed his stomach. It was as if Naomi betrayed and lied to him just like the time of the misunderstanding. Still, he kept his eye on the battle.

"I won't lose that easily." Sho mumbled wiping the blood from his chin. He took control of the leaves again, which were soon floating above the ground. "Wow, he's got a very good stamina." Naomi thought as she observed Sho. The leaves hurled themselves once more in Naomi's direction, and she found herself dancing again. "Heh, oh yeah? Let's see how you like this." Sho chuckled under his breathe. With that, he threw his kunais at Naomi as she was dodging the leaves. "Huh?" Naomi wondered noticing the kunais. Just as she jumped out of the fray of leaves, her hands motioned vigorously in front of her catching the kunais.

"What? What happened? Why didn't she dodge them all stupidly like she did before?" Sho questioned alarmed by Naomi's sudden change of power.

"Ah, so she's been holding back during training." Kakashi thought and gave a nod. "I knew something was fishy." "Hmm…" Sasuke thought as he observed Naomi.

"Hey, I have some things of yours!" Naomi called out. "I think you might want them back." Afterwards, Naomi threw one of Sho's kunais back at him, who quickly used one of his leaves to block the hit. Naomi noticed that the leaves were hardened by Sho's chakra, but as soon as the kunai hit the leaf, it twirled weakly to the ground. Soon, a cluster of leaves surrounded Sho's feet, and Naomi remained with a few of his kunais in her fingers. Seeing Sho panting, Naomi figured that his chakra would run out soon. "He's getting tired." She thought. "Well, here I go."

Throwing the remaining kunais at Sho, who blocked them with his leaves, Naomi disappeared off the ring for a moment, but then reappeared at the far end of the ring slamming Sho into the wall. She held a paintbrush horizontally at his throat which cut off the air to his lungs. Squirming and choking, Sho, who was completely caught off guard, tried to kick Naomi away. Naomi clicked her tongue at him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk." "Ah! G-get…OFF!!" he gagged. "Heh, have you had enough?" Naomi asked him with some sarcasm. Growling at Naomi, Sho glared into Naomi's glasses, which gradually slid down to the end of her nose. His eyes broadened at the unexpected sight of Naomi's sapphire eyes glaring through him.

The audience only watched now at the suspense that was in store for them. The teachers and jounin all watched Naomi warily, but would glance eagerly at Kakashi to see his reactions. Even the proctor stood and watched aside impressed with the battle displayed. From the corner of Naomi's eye, she spotted Fumiko walking towards Kakashi's direction.

The pile of leaves behind Naomi slowly drifted off the ground."Heh, you shouldn't let your guard down." Sho said quietly noticing Naomi's reaction to Fumiko. They hovered in the air for a brief second, but almost in a flash, the leaves propelled themselves at Naomi and gouged into her back.

Naomi's shriek of agony echoed throughout the stadium.

"Naomi!" Naruto shouted with worry. "Oh my…" Sakura said turning her head away. A small grin appeared onto Sho's face as he pushed Naomi away. Staggering, but catching herself, Naomi lifted her head slightly and looked at Sho through her bangs that covered her face. The back of Naomi's T-shirt was soaked in blood. It streamed down her legs and dripped off her arms darkening the dirt ground. Kakashi's eye widened at the startling scene, and Sasuke watched in shock.

"Now I ask you, have _you_ had enough?" Sho mocked laughing afterwards. "This match is mine!" "Heh, heh, heh." Naomi chuckled. This stopped Sho's gloating, and he asked with distress, "What's so funny?" Flipping her hair from her face, a bright smile shown on Naomi's face as she replied, "You're good, but not good enough." And then Poof! Naomi disappeared into a puff of smoke and a log with leaves dug into it replaced her. "Damn it! A Replacement technique!" Sho realized preparing himself as he looked around for the real Naomi.

Knocked out from their silence, the audience all cheered rampantly at Naomi's brilliant stunt. "Damn it…and she even made her clone talk after all that. She made it seem so real." Sho muttered to himself. "Was…it a clone? Or a replacement? No, she combined them both."

"I knew it!" Ino exclaimed suddenly appearing next to Sakura.

"What the…?" Sakura said in surprise. Her unexpected appearance broke the shock that held Team Seven.

"I knew our healer was more than that!" Ino told Sakura.

"Ha! Of course, she is, Ino Pig!" Sakura declared.

"Ha, ha, ha! You can stop hiding it, Sakura! I saw you looking away, you billboard brow!" Ino pointed out.

"And I saw you duck for cover." Shikamaru said with his head butting in between the two rivals. "And move back to your seat, will you? You sit _right_ behind her. I don't see why you went through all that trouble. Geeze…" Glaring at him with a vein pulsing in her forehead, Ino blurted, "Who asked you anyway? Besides, I wanted to sit next to my Sasuke." "Oh no, you don't! I got dibs first! _Move_!" Sakura demanded as she swapped her hand in front of Ino. "Will you guys shut it?" Sasuke demanded coldly. "My teammate's down their fighting, and I intend to watch." With that, Ino and Sakura shut their mouths and glared at one another.

"Eh, Sasuke _intends_ to watch?" Kakashi thought with amusement. "Funny."

Standing a few feet away from Sho, the real Naomi said aloud, "Now it's my turn." She popped open the jug of water that hung around her waist and splashed her brushes with the liquid. Replacing the cap on the jug, Naomi spun her brushes in her hand and sprinted towards her opponent. "Close hand combat?" Sho thought quickly. "Ha! Not this time!" He kicked the dirt on the ground into the air hoping for a chance to blur his foe's vision, but ducking out of the way, Naomi emerged in front of Sho. She suddenly splat her two brushes into Sho's eyes, and pulled away. Blinking twice, Sho looked at Naomi and heard the laughter of the audience roar in his ears. "What…what's so funny?" he asked nervously.

Like a panda bear, there were two black circles that covered and surrounded Sho's eyes. Laughing, Naruto pointed at Sho and held his stomach. "That's a good one!" The sick feeling he had in his stomach lifted as he howled with laughter. Sakura and Ino joined in with Naruto's hilarity. Chuckling, Kakashi said to himself. "She's just toying with him now." Sasuke heard his sensei's words and agreed with a chuckle of his own.

Growing with anger, but spent from his use of chakra, Sho looked at Naomi with frustration. "Alright, enough horsing around." Naomi thought to herself with a small giggle. "First off, I've gotten to weaken him some more." Naomi clicked her brushes and out came the sharp part of kunais hidden underneath the brush hairs. "Time for you to get a taste of your own medicine." Naomi said as she leapt at Sho. After forming hand signs, Naomi shouted, "Clone jutsu!" Several more Naomi's appeared, and they quickly swiped at Sho with their kunai brushes repetitively. Sho blocked himself, but was still deeply cut on his arms and legs.

"Time to end this." Naomi concluded as her clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke unveiling her true self once again. "There-…there you are!" Sho panted. "Hi!" Naomi greeted cheerfully and then grabbing Sho's arm, Naomi pulled herself up and rolled over onto Sho's back. This forced Sho to fall onto all fours, but before he knew it, he collapsed from the weight and his fatigue. Naomi now sat on top of Sho's back, who was unconscious with swirling eyes. It took a moment for the proctor to pull himself together and announce, "The winner, Naomi!" There was an instant of silence and amazement before the audience's cheer rang deafly in the air.

When the tournament was finally over, everybody returned to his or her lives, but with something new to gossip about. Many teachers and Jounin stopped by to compliment Kakashi on his students, and of course, they mostly talked to him about Naomi. Even so, Kakashi himself wondered what other secrets Naomi had to hide.

"That was a great battle, Naomi." Naruto said.

"Thanks! The same goes for you, Naruto." Naomi replied.

The two walked to Naruto's secret spot, and Naomi noticed something bothering Naruto.

"What is it?" Naomi asked.

Remaining in his silence for a while, Naruto finally said, "You…you told me that you never knew what the Hidden Painters were, but…you _are_ one."

"Oh…I see." Naomi slowly realized. "I'm sorry, Naruto."

They walked on further and finally reached their destination. "I guess…I should start from the beginning." Naomi started.

"Huh?" Naruto wondered.

Naomi began telling Naruto her past and who Jiro was.

"I was originally born in a village that doesn't really exist anymore." She said. "My mother and father reigned as a queen and king, but the place was attacked by this horrible demon spider." Naruto nodded his head thinking back to how similar it was with the Nine-tail fox and Konoha. "If your parents were king and queen at that time then…aren't you a princess?" Naruto asked curiously. Giving a small laugh, Naomi said, "Yes, I am. Have you heard of the princess named Princess Naki?"

Scratching his head, Naruto said, "I don't think so…"

"Well, they say that after the spider attacked her parents' village, she disappeared along with her mother and father." Naomi informed.

"Hang on a minute." Naruto said. "Your last name…Iru_naki_. Oh! I see now! _You're_ Princess Naki?" Again, Naomi laughed and gave Naruto a nod.

"Wow! A real princess!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But hang on, I'm not through yet, Naruto." Naomi stated as she seated herself down on the grass. Naruto followed after her and impatiently pleaded, "Come on, come on! Finish the story!"

"Alright…My parents ran to the Crystal Kingdom where…a tyrant ruled. He was my father's brother so he was also my uncle." Now Naomi lifted her head and watched the sky and trees above her. "I was only a year old then, and I saw how horrible my uncle treated my parents. They were in debt, and to save themselves, they sold me."

"_What_?" Naruto interrupted with disbelief.

"From then, my life belonged to Uncle, and he still killed my parents after he bought me. I was his slave, and I was worked almost to death every day…until one night" Naomi paused for a moment to wipe tears from under her glasses.

"I had a savior. The king saw how poorly I shined his crown and decided to kill me himself. That night, the king was assassinated right before my eyes." she shuddered at the thought, but urged to go on. " He was a ninja, and I followed him out into the woods where I ran. I ran from everything in my past, and ended up with Jiro-sensei." At this point, Naruto knew the rest of the story. "Jiro was one of the few of the Hidden Painters that survived in this world, and well, he passed down everything he knew to me." Naomi finished. Naruto nodded at Naomi's reminding words. "Still…I'm searching for that ninja, who saved me." Naomi slowly said. "You mean, it wasn't Jiro?" Naruto asked. "No, apparently not…" Naomi answered sadly.

"Ah…I'm sorry, Naomi. Your life's kind of…full of tragedy." Naruto slowly said. "That doesn't mean I'm the only one you know." Naomi said giving Naruto a slight smile. "Yeah..." Naruto said as he raised his head and thought about his own past. Naomi gave a small random nod that eased the sad feeling in the air. "Everybody shunned you, but Mr. Iruka inspired you to become who you are." Naomi finished. Naruto nodded, but giggled at Naomi's formality for Iruka. They sat together admiring the peace and their company with one another, but as the sun began to set, closing up their exciting day, Naomi treated Naruto to a congratulating bowl of ramen.

Naruto: (swirling eyes) That…was a lot to read.

Pearl: Eh, heh, heh…sorry.

Kagome: (chasing Inuyasha in the background)

Pearl: Wow, she's still here?

Kakashi: Hmm…Fumiko, eh?

Pearl: Uh…(shifty eyes)


	10. Chapter ten: Rain

Pearl: (Sigh) What has happened to me? I totally just ditched this story and stopped working on it. Well, I know for one, there was school that came back in the way. (frowns) Oh well...other than that, I guess I could've at least even worked on it even if it was just a little bit. I'm glad that I still have chapter ten from where I left off at least. I guess leaving a story and coming back to try and finish it is a hard thing, but I'm glad I'm here anyway so let's get to typing!

Naruto: I think I have kids now...I've waited too long.

Pearl: Oh! Who's the wife?

Sasuke: (knocks Pearl on the head) Idiot! It was sarcasm! What took you so long to come back anyways?

Kakashi: Yo!

Pearl: (crying) Owie...s-sorry...I guess you guys are mad at me?

Naruto: Well, a little, at least you came back.

Kakashi: I'd have to follow Naruto on this one.

Pearl: Yay! Hey, where's Sakura?

Naruto and Sasuke: ...Um...you asked if us GUYS were mad at you...

Pearl: ...oh.

Chapter Ten: Rain

Naomi sat quietly in her house and thought about the past events that happened. Earlier today, she helped some sick villagers, but nothing came now. Everything seemed so quiet, but Naomi's mind was exploding with loud thoughts. Remembering, the water bottle incident with Kakashi, Naomi asked herself softly, "What was I thinking?" Slowly shaking her head, Naomi placed a hand over her heart that beat nervously. "I just keep thinking about him. I know I've got to stop this…somehow." Naomi finished solemnly. "Heh." Naomi chuckled weakly as she realized, "It's the same feeling when Jiro laughed."

Suddenly, there came a knock from Naomi's door. Glad to get out of the mess in her head, Naomi joyfully opened the door, and to her surprise, it was that jounin messenger from the time Naruto and Naomi were on the rooftop. "Lord Hokage wishes to speak with you again." he said seriously.

"Again?" Naomi asked. "Do you know what it is this time?"

Shaking his head, the jounin apologized to Naomi, but informed her that the Hokage needed to see her for something important.

"Ah, alright." Naomi sighed as she stepped out of her house and locked the door behind her.

Lord Hokage turned around, faced Naomi, and said, "I see that you have refused to aid Jiro."

Understanding her reason to be called, Naomi nodded her head and said, "He wants to kill Prince Katsuro for revenge, but I cannot fight for revenge."

"Hmm." Hokage thought as he fiddled with the hair on his chin. "Yes, Naomi, I understand your reason perfectly, but you must know that he cannot survive without your help." Naomi became discouraged at these words.

"Is he…really not strong enough?" Naomi asked suspiciously.

"Yes, Jiro's strength alone is not strong enough." Hokage confirmed.

Sighing, Naomi looked at Lord Hokage with sad eyes under her spectacles, but she knew that she must do the right thing.

"Lord Hokage, I see why I have to aid Jiro-sensei. He would...die if I didn't help him." She started hesitantly. "Alright, I will go, but…may I go as an order?"

"What do you mean?" Hokage asked questionably.

"Like I said, Lord Hokage, I don't want to go for revenge. Is it possible if I go as an order from you?" Naomi asked as she explained.

Laughing softly to himself, Lord Hokage said, "Yes, Naomi, this is a rank B mission for you." Then clearing his throat, Lord Hokage instructed in a serious tone, "Irunaki, Naomi, you are here by under my order of assisting Toshakatsu, Jiro in his revenge for Toshakatsu, Yuri's death."

Yuri's name rang in Naomi's head and pausing, she answered, "Yes, Lord Hokage!" After quickly arching over a bow, Naomi hurried away in a flash.

She ran to one of the forest clearings her team trained in, but this one was where Naomi and Naruto first encountered Jiro. Oddly enough, he stood casually under a tree waiting for Naomi.

When Jiro turned his head, he said with a smile, "I knew Lord Hokage could convince you!"

"Hmm, well, I felt like I needed permission." Naomi said with sarcasm.

"Are you ready Naomi?" Jiro asked with the sudden change in tone. "You must be prepared for this dangerous journey."

Naomi's eyes fell on Jiro, and she said with determination, "Believe me, Jiro-sensei! I'm more than ready!"

"Oh, by the way," Jiro said as they began walking, "can you take off those silly glasses? Along with that headband?"

Hesitantly, Naomi said with a small hint of annoyance, "Fine, fine, but just for this mission, okay?"

"Okay." Jiro answered.

With that, Naomi ripped off her glasses, shrunk them with a spell, and placed them into her pocket on her arm. "But I'm not taking this headband off! Instead, I have a better idea." Naomi untied her headband and readjusted it to where it hung loosely around her neck.

"Now there's the Naomi I know!" Jiro teased. Naomi's blue eyes blinked and sparkle at the scenery before her as the two began their journey.

Kakashi strolled along in the forest with his eyes focused on Icha Icha Paradise. Finally, he looked up from his book and spotted the same herb tree that Naomi had fallen from. "Hmm, funny how I ended up here again." Kakashi thought. Then returning to his paradise, he continued on walking, but it wasn't long before he reached the area where he first met Natsumi. "Well, here we are." Kakashi said putting up his book. He sat himself down on the bench with the vending machines and waited for Natsumi.

Raising his head and watching the clouds above, Kakashi remembered catching Natsumi the other day as she wandered the forest in that same summer dress. Lately, Naomi had been walking through the forest and wandering to Naruto's secret place, but was discovered by Kakashi. Luckily for Naomi, she was "disguised" as Natsumi. He was spellbound when he saw her again and wasn't sure if she was really there or not. From then on, Natsumi promised Kakashi that she would meet him there everyday at noon. They would talk, and Naomi learned so much more about Kakashi.

Now, Kakashi glanced at the sun and figured it was well past noon. Standing up, he sadly gazed into the forest around him with the thought of Natsumi's face imbedded in his mind.

"Where are you?" He asked. All he wanted now was to see her smile again.

Even so, Kakashi forced himself to leave the place and return inside Konoha, but as he walked a few feet away, Kakashi slowly turned around and waited a little longer. His heart raced as it pounded inside him, but no one came. No one was there. Finally, he left the area and found his arm intertwined with Fumiko's.

"Why were you so late?" She asked as they walked down the streets of Konoha together.

"I…was lost on the road of life." Kakashi replied hesitantly.

Laughing softly, Fumiko said, "You're so silly with that remark. Come on, Kakashi, let's go. We wouldn't want to waste anymore time on our date."

The two have been traveling for a day and a half now. The hidden palace that housed Prince Katsuro wasn't far…according to Jiro's map.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Naomi asked that day.

"Yes, yes, now don't make me loose my concentration!" He fussed as he narrowed his eyes on the map.

"Concentration on what? You're looking at a map...just follow it." Naomi said sarcastically. "Oh, be quiet!" Jiro snapped fed up with Naomi's attitude.

Finally, the two stopped to rest in a grassy area near several hills. Pointing at the green bumps before them, Jiro said, "The castle is just over those hills."

"Well, that wasn't long. Just a day and a half, right?" Naomi inquired.

"Yep, that's right!" Jiro exclaimed then unexpectedly, he asked Naomi, "So…Naomi, have you met your true love yet?"

The question banged into Naomi, and her face flushed a deep pink. "What? What do you mean?" she stammered nervously with the thought of Kakashi pounding in her head.

"Well, I'd say you're well over me, and probably someone else has stolen your heart. Is it one of your teammates?" He badgered.

"There's no one!" Naomi quickly blurted out.

Blinking twice, and then shrugging, Jiro said, "Alright, whatever you say."

Closely eyeing her former sensei, Naomi quietly and slowly asked, "W-wait a minute, Jiro-sensei, you would know more about love than me right?"

Clearing his throat, Jiro said, "Hmm…I see you still insist on calling me your sensei. Well, in any case…" After a slight pause, Jiro watched Naomi steadily. "Yes, Naomi, I would probably know more about love than you. Why do you ask?"

"Um…" Naomi stuttered nervously as she poked her two index fingers together, "I'm not sure about…admitting whether I love someone or not."

"Yes, I see. Well, that should be the first thing you'd feel when you _start_ to love someone." Jiro said as he casually scratched his head. Naomi looked dully at Jiro for accenting on the word start.

Abruptly, their rest was interrupted by sharp stones that flew at them in the form of stakes. Naomi skidded away while Jiro bounced into the air.

"Where did those come from?" Naomi questioned.

A raspy laughter filled the sky, and a woman slipped out from behind the hills. She was young and beautiful. Her red hair and green eyes lured any mans' eyes to her, and the armor that clenched onto her body were the same as the armor of Prince Katsuro.

"Well, we hardly get any visitors here." she started, "This is such a rare opportunity."

Jiro and Naomi stood in the same stance and dashed towards her.

"Well, well, it looks like actions first and words later." The woman said.

Unexpectedly, the red-haired beauty appeared behind Naomi and thrust a kick at Naomi's back, which sent her flying into a tree. Naomi managed to catch herself and make her landing light against the tree. Jiro threw punches and kicks at their enemy, but the woman easily evaded them. When she saw an opening in all of Jiro's thrusts, she threw another kick there, and he skidded across the dirt.

Naomi stood up, spat on the ground, and said with a cocky attitude, "Heh…you're pretty good."

"Why thank you. I hardly get compliments from someone I'm about to kill so this is definitely a first," the beauty said with a seducing smile.

Jiro stood up, and dusted some dirt off. "I believe your name is Kin. You're one of those banned ninjas from your home village, am I correct?" Jiro asked.

"Oh, I see you've done your share of studying." Kin said her smile slowly increasing. Swiftly pulling out shurikens from her holders, Kin thrusted them at Naomi and Jiro, and soon, all three were off in their battle again.

Not a moment too long did Kin somehow run out of shurikens, and the three found themselves standing on their sides facing one another.

"Well, looks like you're out of weapons." Jiro pointed out.

"Oh, don't worry." Kin said, "I've got plenty more of where those came from." With that, small craters formed near her feet and the loose rocks hardened and sharpened into the shapes of kunais. They floated before Kin, who sneered at the two.

"Hang on a minute." Naomi realized her eyes widening in surprise. "You're not…_that_ Kin? Are you?"

"Yup, I'm afraid she is." Jiro confirmed. "It _is that_ Kin. She has an unknown last name and is only known widely as Kin, The Beauty of Earth. She was banned from her village for having the ability to control Earth and abusing it. I guess she was just a monster to the villagers."

"Ha! Those fools!" Kin mocked, "They never saw the good in my powers. Heh, they'll learn soon enough, but first, I am ordered to take care of you two." Kin hurled the rock kunais at Jiro and Naomi, but they hopped away dodging them. Growing in her fury, the red-haired beauty forged a larger crater into the Earth controlling all the loose rocks that jiggled out. Dirt, boulders, and rocks began flying in all directions. They aimed at Naomi and Jiro chipping their arms and legs. "Let's see how you escape from my Earth Style: Tornado Jutsu!" Kin said as she watched her opponents amusingly.

The Earth began to shatter and shake as if an earthquake were to happen, but soon, Naomi and Jiro found themselves in a much larger crater with more rocks and gravel flying around them. Jiro and Naomi managed to escape to the edge of the crater, dodging and breaking rocks along the way. Before them, a brown tornado spun around dangerously hurling stone projectiles in every direction.

"Naomi!" Jiro called out, "Stay behind me!" Jiro's hands came into a formation, and he shouted, "Ogre Sheath Jutsu!" A green barrier appeared before him as he kept his position. It stretched into the sky blocking the dirt that swirled in the air. Jiro formed this green shield with his chakra, and Kin watched the man with interest. Naomi stood warily behind Jiro, swiveled around, and called out, "Stop, Jiro-sensei! Your chakra will be wasted!" Jiro let go of his formation, and they quickly ran and hid behind a tree. Naomi took a quick peek at the brown tornado that stood just on the other side of the tree.

When she turned back around to Jiro, her eyes filled with horror. A stone kunai had pierced its way into Jiro's chest, and the blood was too much. It soaked into the bearskins and stained his boots. He sat panting as he held his wound.

"Heh…looks like I was a little too late in…forming that barrier." he said with difficulty.

Naomi quickly put her hands on his shoulder and exclaimed in panic, "Jiro-sensei! Oh, wait! I'll heal you just hang in there, please! M-my water powers can heal you!"

Jiro cringed at the pain and with one eye opened, he looked into Naomi. The corner of his mouth curled into a smile and he said, "Please, Naomi. Don't heal me. I want to die."

Those words overcame Naomi and her heart gripped them tightly. "You…_want_ to die?" she asked her voice breaking.

Coughing, Jiro still kept his smile. "To be with Yuri, again. Heh...that Kin...she was the one...who killed Yuri." he replied.

The tornado evaporated and everything was still. A feeling of understanding swept through Naomi along with the feeling of sorrow. "It was good to see you again, Naomi. How well I've brought you up really amazes me." Jiro whispered quietly.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naomi said. Her throat tightened up and tears fell from her blue eyes.

Jiro's smile faded as his face filled with confusion.

"He is the one that I…love." Naomi finished between her sobs.

The smile reappeared onto Jiro's face, and he held out a hand to touch Naomi's cheek. Naomi's hands grasped and held it tightly.

"Please…don't go." she whispered, but she knew he had to, and…he wanted to.

"Your tears…I don't ever remember seeing…you cry." A hard cough interrupted Jiro, but he continued, "I'm sorry, Naomi. I hope the best would come…for you and…Kakashi." With that, his soul left his body and the smile listlessly disappeared. As he slowly shut his eyes, his golden spheres collapsed into the darkness with the last scene of Naomi crying.

"No! Jiro-sensei! Jiro-sensei!" Naomi shouted through sobs. She leaned against his shoulder as her tears kept falling.

The sky became dark and clouds loomed overhead. In the distance there was thunder, and at last, the gray rain came. It swooped across the grassy plains and splattered into the dirt and crater forming small puddles.

Kin hovered above Naomi in the shelter of a rock umbrella keeping her dry. She stopped the tornado long ago and was now clapping at the "entertainment" down below her. "Oh, how dramatic." she said with sarcasm. "These moments always happen after I pick off the first one." Rage exploded within Naomi.

"Shut up." She growled.

Then flying up to where Kin hovered by stepping on the raindrops, Naomi waved her hand and commanded the rain to bomb Kin. Dodging them, Kin exclaimed, "_What_? Impossible! _You_ control water?" Naomi's sapphire eyes glared at Kin through her drenched bangs that hung over her face. The rain kept pouring, and even though Naomi was dripping wet and cold, she couldn't care less. "I'll let the rain hammer you to death!" Naomi threatened coldly.

Another piece of earth came out of the umbrella that shaded Kin, and it formed into a rock shield Kin held in her right hand. "Oh please, I control the Earth, but I think you might be worth _some _time to play with. I guess it looks like I'll have some fun before you die."

The anger boiled deep inside Naomi, who couldn't contain it any longer. "No, I'm going to end this quickly. _I'll kill you_!" Naomi lunged at Kin who dodged her and laughed.

"And how are you going to do that?" A couple of water kunais were attempted by Naomi, but Kin easily protected herself with her Earthen shield. Her laughter filled the rain, which boiled Naomi even more. "I _will_ end it! Here and _now_!" Naomi exclaimed.

Her right hand extended in front of her and out came claws made of water from her fingertips. Blue feathers appeared on the back of her hand and began spreading upward covering her entire arm. They emitted a soft glow from her chakra, and the light danced in the cold rain. "Water Style: Phoenix Talon Jutsu!" Naomi shouted. With that, she charged at Kin stabbing through her stone shield. Not a moment too soon, Naomi pierced into The Beauty of Earth's chest, but in her anger, Naomi pushed herself even further until her claws reached through emerging from Kin's back. Kin's shriek of agony filled the air, but was drowned out by the rain. The rock slab Kin held onto disintegrated into mud and splattered onto the ground. Naomi then threw her dead enemy into the dirt where her body shriveled up and eroded away with the dirt. As her claws and feathers dissolved back into water, Kin's blood dribbled down Naomi's arm and dripped off her blood stained fingertips.

Through the rain, Naomi tried to haul Jiro's body back to Konoha, but her strength refused to do so. However, she did manage to make it to the edge of the woods where she and her team trained. There, Naomi dug Jiro's grave, and all the time of digging, her tears couldn't stop from pouring nor did the rain.

Suddenly, in the middle of covering Jiro with another layer of dirt, a headache pounded into Naomi's head. "What?" Naomi wondered wincing in pain. After noticing the thick blood that was still on her arm, Naomi thought, "Wait…this blood. It should have been washed away a long time ago." A second pulse pounded through her head and shivered down her spine. "AH!" Naomi yelped in pain. After lifting her arm to her nose and smelling the blood did Naomi realize that Kin had the last laugh. "Damn it, her blood…it's poisoned. It must have gotten into my body from those scrapes I got in battle with her. Damn her!" Naomi cursed. Then a third pulse pounded through her, and she yelped again. "Ah…every pulse gets…stronger…no, I'm just getting…weaker." Naomi figured. The rain never ceased itself as Naomi fell onto the muddy grass holding her body from the pain of the fourth pulse. "I've got to…finish this for…Jiro-sensei." Then, heaving herself up, Naomi forced herself to complete the grave of her former sensei.

Finally, she was through, but was weak and exhausted. It was no longer day and it was no longer night. Whatever time it was, it seemed to be an eternity of suffrage to Naomi. The pulses that pounded through her only drained out more energy as she struggled her way back to the Konoha. Her vision became blurred, and she staggered in her walk.

"Ah, I can't believe we've still got to work in this weather." a guard complained to his co-worker as he straightened his raincoat.

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm here to get paid, after all, I do have a family to take care of." he replied.

"Still," the first guard stated as he watched the rain, "someone can catch a cold if they stay out here too long."

"Yeah, I know what you mean…hey, what's that?" the second guard asked alertly.

"I…I don't know." the first man said as he squinted his eyes at a shadow in the rain.

It staggered and wobbled back and forth along the path, but it crept closer and closer.

"I think it's just a drunkard." the second guard assumed.

"Hmm…I'm not so sure, it looks like it's just a kid."

Suddenly, the dark shadow collapsed onto the ground.

"Whoa! Let's go check it out!" the first guard exclaimed.

Naomi lie cold in the mud breathing as hard as she could for air to circulate through her lungs. Her forehead was burning hot along with the pulses that pounded through her body. In her left hand, she held tightly onto several kinds of poisonous herbs.

"Oh my…" the first guard said in horror, "it's the Healer!"

"What's…what's happened to her?" the second asked in the same shock.

They both hesitantly eyed the black forearm that was now Naomi's right arm.

"I heard that she…was on a mission." the second said slowly.

"Well, come on! Don't just stand there! She's soaking wet and _needs_ help!" the first guard ordered.

With that, he picked Naomi off the dirt and held her limply in his arms. Naomi's skin was as cold as a tomb when the guard touched her. It even frightened him a little, but he shook off his fear and carried her away.

Pearl: Ah, yeah…a little cliff hanger?

Kakashi: What happens next? What happens next?

Pearl: Are-are you…crying?

Kakashi: Huh? NO…I've just got something in my eye.

Pearl: …uh huh, did you enjoy that date with Fumiko?

Kakashi: …don't try and change the subject on me!

Pearl: So you did, right?

Kakashi: …sort of. (shifty eyes)

Pearl: AhA!

Kakashi: I knew reading this story was a bad idea...

Sakura: PEARL!!! IS THAT YOU?!

Pearl: (Gone)


End file.
